Patricia Ann Dent's Obituary
Patricia Ann Dent (nee Shannon) of Longview, Texas passed away on March 17, 2014. She was the wife of the late Joseph James Dent and she was the devoted mother of Denise M. Gonzales of Dallas, Jacqueline A. Whittle and her husband Skip of Longview, Robert P. Dent of Kilgore, and Lt. Col. Joseph M. Dent, USMC (Ret.) and his wife Jennifer of McLean, Virginia. Patricia was born on 15 July 1927 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After World War II, she served as the personal secretary to female aviation pioneer and founder/director of the Woman's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) Jacqueline Cochran, in New York City.
She married Mr. Dent on 23 November 1950 and later served as an administrative assistant in the Department of State's Foreign Service in Lima, Peru. Patricia Dent is survived by her four children, her brother, Donald Shannon of Dunellen, Florida and her sister, Mary Shannon-Corey of Colorado. She is further survived by 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Patricia lived a life of selfless devotion and dedication to her faith, family and country.
Friends are welcome to join the family for a time of visitation from 4 pm- 7 pm Thursday, March 20, 2014 at Rader Funeral Home in Longview. Her Mass of Christian Burial will be the next day, Friday, March 21, 2014 starting at 10 am at St Mathews Catholic Church, Longview. Private interment will take place at a later date at Houston National Cemetery, Houston, TX.
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