Patricia Elaine Shipley Edwards, October 10, 1945 - May 20, 2026
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Patricia S. Edwards of Jonesborough, TN, who left us on May 20, 2026, at the age of 80. Patricia, affectionately known as "Pat" to her friends and "Nani" to her loved ones, was born on October 10, 1945, in Johnson City, Tennessee, to Rachel and Russell Shipley. She and her family lived in the Boones Creek community, which is now part of greater Johnson City.
Pat attended all 12 years of her education and graduated from Boones Creek High School in 1963. The Shipley family were devout members of the Boones Creek Church of Christ, where she met her lifelong soulmate, David E. Edwards, in 1960. They went to high school together; David graduated from BCHS in 1961.
After graduating from BCHS in 1963, Pat pursued a 12-month certification in Secretarial Sciences at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She then worked at Johnson City Memorial Hospital in the Medical Records Department until the birth of their first child in 1967. David graduated from ETSU in 1966 after attending Kansas State University for one year. Dave and Pat became engaged on April 23, 1963, and married on August 28, 1964, at the church where they first met. After graduating, David began his career at Eastman Chemical Company and later transferred to the Eastman Kodak Corporate offices in Rochester, NY, in 1980.
David’s career took them from Tennessee to New York, then to North Carolina, and finally back to East Tennessee, where their life together truly began. Pat (Mom) always made a welcoming home and quickly formed lifelong friendships and memories wherever they lived. It was her specialty to love and encourage others - first and foremost, family, but also anyone she engaged in conversation, especially those less fortunate.
Pat will be lovingly remembered by her children and grandchildren, who always received her warm greeting of “Hey, babe!” She loved her family fiercely, always the first to respond to texts or social media posts with encouragement. She was the strength of our family, never allowing any of us to feel down or left behind. She knew exactly where she was leading us, and it became even more evident in her final days.
Surrounded by family, Pat participated in a day filled with love, laughter, and lasting memories. It will be our guiding light. She let us know of her visions as she prepared to enter her eternal kingdom. It is with profound sadness that we bid her farewell, but we hold deep expectation that we will meet her again as she hosts her five banquet tables adorned with roses. We love you, Nanni, and we will see you very soon!
Pat is survived by her husband, David E. Edwards; her children, Kristi (Edwards) Cain (Timothy), D. Scott Edwards (Laura), and Kati (Edwards) Wilson (Stacey Huntington); her brother, Larry Shipley (Virginia); and her grandchildren, Kasie Edwards White, C.J. Edwards, Dylan Edwards, Tory Cain, Taylor Cain Phillips, Gabi Wilson, Evan Wilson, and Andy Wilson. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Madison White, Maddox White, Rhys White, Ryleigh White, Everly Cain, and Greyson Phillips. Pat was predeceased by her sister, Jesse Lynn Jones (Freddie), and her granddaughter, Jaclyn Edwards.
A special Celebration of Life for Pat will be held at Boones Creek Christian Church on July 18, 2026, at 10:00 AM for an informal meet-and-greet, followed by a more formal celebration of her selfless life of loving and serving others at 11:00 AM. The formal service will be streamed live on the Church’s free YouTube channel.
