Dr. Joseph Patch

Dr. Joseph Wallis Patch

Dr. Joseph Wallis Patch, born in Memphis, Tennessee, passed away in his home in Madison, Mississippi, on Sunday morning, May 7, 2023 at the age of 87.

Services will be held Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at Ott & Lee Funeral Homes, 1360 W. Government St., Brandon, MS 39042 (601-824-6018; ottandlee.com).  Visitation is at 12:00pm with funeral ceremony at 2:00pm followed by burial at Crestview Memorial Gardens, 1106 Star Rd., Brandon, MS  39042.

Wallis’ father was a Baptist preacher in Baldwin, MS, where he grew up.  He was born on October 6, 1935, in Memphis while his father was traveling in the region and, according to the story, his father found out about his birth in a newspaper. A rugged individualist from the start, he was the youngest boy in his day to obtain the Eagle Scout badge.  After graduating high school, he enrolled at Mississippi College working towards a degree in biology.  His idea of a summer vacation, at 18 years old after his freshmen year, was to hitch-hike to Idaho and work in land conservation at Yellowstone National Park.  That summer off didn’t prevent him from graduating summa cum laude from MC in just 3 years.  Following in his father’s evangelical footsteps, Wallis then attended seminary at Wake Forrest in North Carolina, and joined the US Army as a chaplain.  After 4 years in the military, he decided to turn his service in another direction and graduated with a DDS from the University of Pittsburg.  As fate would have it, he eventually met Kennie Sue Brice, married her, and settled in Brandon, Mississippi, as one of the first residents of Crossgates, where they lived for 50 years.  Dr. Patch served the community as a dentist for 40 of those years, reared 4 children, was an avid golfer twice making a verified hole-in-one, and was a great cook known for his homemade Super Bowl party sausage balls and smoked catfish dip…no leftovers.  He even finagled a recipe for chicken & dressing out of a deli worker at the Piggly Wiggly, which became a family favorite.  Always a man of his word, he promised to quit smoking if his 3 boys could ever pin him down wrestling.  That day finally came in the 1970’s, and true to his word he quit smoking, and started jogging.  He made those same 3 boys start jogging with him and even expanded that effort to the community initiating jogging groups before that was mainstream.  A lover of travel he joined the RV community and took the family on vacations around the country from Florida to New Mexico.  After the kids were grown, he an Kennie continued to enjoy travel for many years.

Dr. Joseph Wallis Patch was preceded in death by his mother and father, Charles and Ruth Patch, and his older brother Dan Patch.  Family left behind that will miss him include his, wife, Kennie Sue Brice Patch; son Jon and wife Leah Patch of Madison, MS, and grandchildren Jessica, Olivia, Fletcher, and Ava; daughter Angela and husband Chris Nielsen of Defiance, MO, and grandson Christian; son Derek and wife Karen Adams of Clinton, MS, and grandchildren Austin, Marilyn and husband Will Pigott, Jasmine and husband Cole Booker and great grandchildren Gracie, Julie Anne, and Noah; and son Mark and wife Lisa Adams of Valrico, FL, and two grandchildren Dylan and Elizabeth.

2nd Peter 1:2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord.