Patricia Joann Ferree
Mass of Christian burial to honor and remember the life of Patricia Joann "Patty" (Kalter) Ferree will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at St. Clement of Rome Catholic Church in Bixby. A prayer service will be held at 6:00 p.m. Monday evening at River Crest Chapel and family will receive friends for visitation from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Interment will be in Floral Haven Cemetery, Broken Arrow. Patty passed away on Thursday, April 4, 2019. She was 65. Patricia Joann Kalter was born in Dayton, Ohio on December 11, 1953. She was the daughter of Jack and Patricia (Fee) Kalter. She was preceded in death by: her father, Jack and mother, Patricia; sisters: Jackie McManus and Kathleen Steck; brothers: David Kalter and Dennis Kalter. She is survived by: her brother, Michael (Linda) Kalter; daughter, Nikki (Steve) Rex; son, Paul (Joeleen) Ferree; four grandchildren: Katelyn, Adam, Paul and Luke along with numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Born before David and Dennis, but after Michael, Kathy, and Jackie, Patty grew up in Kettering in a house on Eileen Rd. The house had white siding and blue walls, a long driveway, thick green grass, hedges in the f...[more]View Full Online Obituary and Tributes
t and sides, three bedrooms and a basement with a woodworker's shop. Family events took place in the large yard and meals were eaten under a covered picnic table. Nearby bird feeders fed the hummingbirds and squirrels. Patty grew up closely with her five brothers and sisters. She loved going to lake Michigan with her Grammie and Grandpa as a young child. She attended Fairmont High School in Kettering, OH and graduated in 1972. Working at the Elder-Beerman department store, it was there, selling shoes, where she met Steve Ferree. The two married in Richmond, IN on September 1, 1973 because they weren't yet 21 and that was the law requirement in Ohio. On April 3, 1974, an F5 tornado hit Xenia, OH where she was working at Lang's Chevrolet. Patty was not hurt, but it may have been a sign of things to come when a move to Oklahoma would be forthcoming. After her daughter, Nicole, was born in June 1977, Patty went to work at Kettering Medical Center as a Unit Secretary. She worked there until Steve, Nikki and Patty moved to Tulsa. Patty gave birth to Paul on Dec. 16, 1980. The family moved to Bixby, OK in June of 1983 and began attending St. Clements Church. Patty soon started to wear big round glasses, just like her dad. Patty's desire to give back to the community was expressed in her work on the Bixby City Council starting in 1993. She would often be found on the phone, at her home, talking with constituents and it was commonplace for policeman to deliver packets with the following week's council agenda directly to her house. The Bixby Chamber of Commerce presented Patty with a "Citizen of the Year" award in 1994. As Vice Mayor of Bixby in 2002, she was recognized for Progressive Leadership in City Government. She received a personalized letter from Bill Clinton, met Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, and was recognized for her distinguished service of 10 years by the Bixby City Council (Mayor, Ray Bowen, Vice Mayor, Steve Todoroff, Councilors, Joe Williams and Tom Daniels) in 2007. She is recognized on Bixby Fire Station #2 from when it was built. As an original member of the Roux'd Dawgs co-ed softball team, in the mid-late 90's, Patty played catcher. She wasn't fast, though, as a teammate called her out as "Slow as Christmas". Patty did, however, recruit a couple of girls from the TU college team and that was the year the team won their one and only first place. Nikki and Paul would follow her steps playing baseball and softball. Patty also played on a bowling league with a pink ball, another Roux'd Dawgs team. She also played solitaire, surfed the internet, in her free time, and loved all things about Georgia O'Keeffe paintings. In her 40's, Patty splurged for a Pontiac Trans-Am. She and Nikki once took a road trip in that car to Ohio and listed to Elton John and maybe a little Leon Russell. Patty, Steve and the kids would often take road trips to Ohio - all 13 hours worth -and stay at Grandpa K's. Maps were still folded then and the kids played the alphabet game to pass time. The family enjoyed staying at the house on Eileen Rd. Family pictures were on the fridge and wood work by Jack on the walls. It wasn't a visit to Dayton without eating Marion's Piazza pizza. Patty worked at St John's Medical Center, Cardiology of Tulsa under Dr. Schwartz, and St John's cardiology under Dr. Marple. She was very empathetic when she cared for elderly patients. Patty moved back to Dayton in 2007 where she spent 7 years with her dad. Patty, Jack, and Joeleen took a memorable trip to Hawaii not too many years ago. When able, Patty would watch Reds baseball games with Grandpa K. She returned to Tulsa in 2015. Her last days were spent in the loving care of Nikki and Paul and the staff of Inverness.
