Individual Details

Death

After 88 and a half years of life, Frances ‘Pat’ Chelette peacefully slipped away to meet her Lord in the early morning hours of March 18, 2022, in East End, Arkansas. The youngest child of eight, Pat was born in Hineston, Louisiana, on September 23, 1933, to John Henry Afeman and Margaret Ann Neal Afeman. She was the last of her siblings to pass. She is survived by her lifelong love, Frances ‘F.M.’ Chelette, whom she married on November 22, 1952, in Weatherford, TX. God blessed them with three children: Susan (Greg) Furr, DeAnne (Phillip) Pollock, and Shawn (Dana) Chelette; nine grandchildren: David (Stephanie) Furr, Jonathan (Michelle) Furr, Pamela Knapp, Zachary Furr, Aaron (Maja) Pollock, Meagan Pollock, Steven (Brittany) Pollock, William (Hannah) Chelette, and Ashleigh Chelette; twelve great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews and foster children. Pat was known for her enduring faith, commitment to her cherished family, and love of fellowship. Accepting Christ as her savior as a child, she began praying for her future husband at age 13. She met F.M. on a blind date and they were married about three months later, and spent nearly seventy years together. F.M. describes their relationship as a team, consistently supporting one another and going along with what each other wanted to do in life. He loved that they attended and served together at church, devoted to teaching Sunday School for many years. Later in life, they traveled the country building churches together with the Volunteer Christian Builders organization. Pat fashioned herself a habitual matchmaker, hopeful for all to find a loving marriage like hers. She held F.M.’s hand through life, especially after it was severed and reattached in 1996. A natural red-head until the day she died, Pat loved to entertain, and was happiest when surrounded by people. She welcomed all into her home, and insisted on always having a full sit-down meal with cloth napkins, and would lovingly chastise anyone who’d consider putting food on the table not in a proper serving dish. She enjoyed reading cookbooks and experimenting with recipes. Pat’s hosting style allowed her to amass a collection of fine dishware and servingware to make any party seem more grand. She was even known to sneak into the bathrooms to check on the placement of her prized little bars of fancy Neiman Marcus soaps, a reminder of her attention to detail and thoughtfulness to her guests’ experience. Pat attended business school in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she learned typing and bookkeeping. Then, she attended Western Union School in Oklahoma City, which meant she was able to send free telegrams to F.M. who was living in Fort Worth at the time. After years of working as a bank teller, she joined F.M. in a family business, Chelette Associates, a machining company. As the office manager, she worked side by side with F.M. to run the business. The grandkids loved to visit them at the shop, because Pat would give them quarters for their classic bottle-style Coke machine. Outside of her business-woman career path, she would also haul cattle to the locker, yet questionably drive with a trailer. Pat was a woman of many hobbies. She enjoyed spending time quilting, crafting, and playing games. She played the organ for Trinity Baptist in Kaufman, Texas, and would play the piano at home regularly. She often tended her acre garden and would can at least 52 quarts of each crop by the end of the season ensuring there was always enough. She adored lotions and potions and accessories. As a child, she used to slip away to the barn to read in solitude. What she didn’t enjoy was water, having never learned to swim – how a woman deathly afraid of water married a Marine, a self-proclaimed ‘water-bird’, can be a question for the ages. It is rumored that she required a life jacket for a bath! Pat unfailingly interceded in prayer for her children, their children, and so many others. Her regular sign-off from any note or call was, “You are loved.” A favorite memory of her grandkids is her reading and singing them the book, “Love you forever,” almost every night when they visited. She will always be remembered for her loving embrace of anyone who was in need. The visitation and funeral will be at Smith Little Rock Funeral Home in Little Rock, on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 8:30 and 10:30 AM respectively. Pat will be laid to rest at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock at noon. Memorial contributions can be made in honor of Francis Pat Chelete to the Volunteer Christian Builders. Donations can be made online or via check mailed to 340 Georgia Ann, Pleasanton, TX 78064.