Mary Patricia (Richey) Fox

Mary Patricia (Richey) Fox 1933-2025

Pat Fox was born to Alvan Edgar and Bessie Thomas Richey on February 2, 1933 in Beaumont Texas. She died in her sleep on Good Friday, April 18, 2025, at the age of 92. She is now in Heaven with her beloved husband Bob, who passed away nearly 10 years ago. Born in the Depression Era, Pat grew up along the Texas Gulf Coast living in Old Ocean, Bay City, Beaumont and Houston. She attended Houston’s Stephen F Austin High School, Class of 1950, and graduated from Rice Institute (now University) in 1954 with a degree in English Literature. She taught school for two years in Victoria, Texas, where she met the love of her life and husband, Bob Fox on a blind date. They were married for 59 years before his passing.

Starting a family in Houston with two children, Tom (1957) and Mary (1958); the family moved to Bryan, Texas, in 1965 so Bob could pursue his goal of obtaining a PhD in Industrial Engineering at Texas A&M University. Pat became a schoolteacher in the Bryan Independent School District, starting as a Special Education teacher, moving to the BISD Central Office as Special Education Director, and then returning to the classroom to teach at Crockett Elementary until her retirement in 1994.

Pat, a life-long Methodist, was married at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston. She was a long time member of First United Methodist in Bryan and later became a member of Bryan Community Church. Faith was an integral part of Pat’s life; she taught Sunday School and was extremely involved with all the churches she was a member of during her lifetime.

In her retirement, Pat and Bob loved to travel. They went to England and Ireland, rode the Orient Express and enjoyed taking their grandchildren to Disneyworld. Pat was a true sports fanatic, having been taught the intricacies of football by her father while still in high school. Because her brother, Alvan Richey, Jr. went to Texas A&M, she was also a lifelong Aggie fan, reinforced when her family moved to Bryan.

Pat loved music, being classically trained in piano. She played in the Rice Institute Orchestra and there was always a piano in her home. Some of her fondest times were attending the Houston Symphony Orchestra with her son Tom, where she was a Patron. The HSO dedicated a concert to Pat on the occasion of her 70th birthday in 2003.

Pat’s dedication to education could be seen in both her career and her creation of endowed scholarships at Rice University, Texas A&M University, The University of New Mexico and with Alpha Delta Pi Sorority of whom she was a member. Additionally, she sponsored the acquisition and training of multiple service dogs for veterans.

Pat is survived by her brother, Alvan Richey Jr. and his wife Pat; her son, Tom and his wife Michele; her daughter, Mary and her husband Fred Seals; her grandson, Benjamine Jean Seals and wife Amanda and grand-daughter Paris Anne Richey Fox. Her four great-grandchildren were the joy of her later life: Michaela, Asa, Elyssa and Jonah. There will be a family burial service on Saturday, May 24 at 10am at Restever Memorial Park Cemetery, 5103 N Texas Ave, Bryan, TX 77803, followed by a memorial service at Bryan Community Church, 2901 Austins Colony Pkwy, Bryan at 11am with lunch catered by CJ Bar-B-Que (Pat’s favorite) immediately thereafter.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to Smokey Mountain Service Dogs, 8380 Fairview Road, Lenoir City, TN 37772 https://www.smokymountainservicedogs.org/