Patricia Ann Perroni's Obituary
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” On May 19, 2025, Patricia Ann Perroni, pure in heart child of the covenant, departed this earthly life for her everlasting life in God’s holy house.
Life began for Pat on April 22, 1949, in Woodruff, South Carolina, marking the start of an unforgettable journey that would gently touch the lives of everyone she would meet. The only child of Lawrence David “L.D.” Watson and Nancy Ruby Moates Watson, she was the apple of her father’s eye and the precious daughter of her faithful mother.
After World War II, when her father returned from his tour of duty in Sicily and Italy as a Navy MP, he and Ruby began their marriage together in South Carolina where Pat spent the first few years of her life. Opportunity presented itself for L.D. in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. So, they packed up their darling child and moved to the Land of Lincoln where Pat would be raised in Champaign and eventually Normal, Illinois.
Pat attended Normal Community High School where her classmates elected this charming young lady Home Coming Queen, a member of the Normal Relays Court, Prom Court and Sweetheart Court. The editors of her Senior Yearbook placed this quote by her photograph: “She walks in beauty as the night.”
You could not find a soul at NCHS who did not count her among the kindest people they knew. And her receipt of the Senior Citizenship Award was testament to her caring ways, standing by her friends through thick and thin. Pat’s loyal friendship and unwavering love are gifts that her family and friends will hold dear forever.
She began dating the love of her life, Sam, in 1966 during her junior year in high school. Sam was a senior at the time. They were married in Normal, Illinois on August 24, 1969, while Pat was working as an assistant for an orthodontist and Sam was attending Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Times were tight for the newlyweds, but they toughed it out until Sam was offered a position in Highland, Illinois after graduation. They lived happily for a year in the small town of Marine, Illinois while Pat worked in Highland as a dental assistant.
The following year Sam was granted admission to the University of Arkansas Law School, Little Rock Division. Wanting to see Sam pursue the dream of his life, Pat eagerly made the move to Arkansas – then known as the Land of Opportunity. While it meant leaving her family and friends in Illinois, Pat was full of enthusiasm for her part in helping her husband succeed. So, with Sam’s mother and little brother following a U-Haul trailer, they caravaned from Illinois to Little Rock, a city they had never seen. Little did they know, however, that the move would be the best decision of their lives. It was the summer of 1971.
Their first home was an apartment in Southwest Little Rock. Pat found a position as a dental assistant where she worked until 1974. While their meager existence while Sam was in law school was challenging, they were helped by people like Hank Van Rossum, Sr., the owner of the NLR McDonald’s franchises. Hank was a patient of her boss and would hand pretty Pat a fist full of meal coupons when he came in for his regular appointment. As the years passed by, Pat and Sam would often remark that their first three years in Little Rock were some of the best times of their lives.
Brian, Pat’s precious baby boy, was born in 1974. And who would become her best friend, daughter Beth, was born in 1977.
After law school, Pat and Sam purchased their first home on Blue Ridge Circle in Little Rock where Pat became a dedicated homemaker until her children attended grade school. At that point, Pat was offered a position as a preschool teacher at St. James United Methodist Church. She taught preschool for nearly a decade and often remarked to Sam that shaping those young minds was the best job she ever had.
In early 1991, Pat and Sam made a New Years trip to a small fishing village at the tip of the Baja peninsula - Cabo San Lucas. While there, they fell in love with that little Mexican town. A few years later they built a home on the beach in the Pedregal where they spent many happy days with family and friends. Pat’s last trip with Sam was to Cabo. It was the last destination she remembered during her admirable fight with Alzheimer's.
Pat traveled extensively with Sam, her family and friends, and each adventure was a memory she would cling to until the cruel disease finally took it from her. And in between those trips, she delighted in her time with her three priceless grandchildren, Hunter Samuel Kemp, Chandler Jeffery Kemp and Ava Rose Perroni. She loved them more than life itself and showed it with that lovely smile of hers every time she was near them. Pat also loved dancing, cooking, decorating and ice skating.
Faith guided her through life, evident in her forty years of membership at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. After Pat and Sam’s move to Fayetteville, until the disease prevented it, she attended church with her daughter, son-in-law and grandsons. Pat was also a passionate supporter of charities related to children and the elderly, reflecting her compassionate and generous spirit.
Pat is survived by her husband of 56 years, Samuel A. Perroni of Fayetteville; her son Brian David Perroni, of San Luis Obispo, California, daughter Mary Elizabeth “Beth” Kemp of Fayetteville, her three grandchildren, Hunter, Chandler and Ava, her half-sister, Brenda Dreblow, her upstanding son-in-law, Jeff Kemp and her faithful friend Barbara Kemp and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Ruby, her father, L.D. and stepfather, Jim Watson, of Boca Raton, Florida.
A funeral service will take place at Cathedral Chapel, 1358 Millsap Rd., Fayetteville at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 27. Pat will be laid to rest in Fairview Memorial Gardens, which will be followed by a reception at Sam’s home. Consistent with her kind demeanor, during her illness Pat never stopped smiling and was one of the favorites of the staff at Cleer Creek memory care facility. Pat’s family will be forever grateful to them and Circle of Life hospice for their kindness and loving care.
Our enduring love for a cherished wife, mother, sister and dear friend ensures that she will remain with us always, in memory and spirit. Memorials can be made in Pat’s memory to The Perroni Field Invitational/Alzheimer’s Association, 13804 W. Highway 16, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704; or Home for Healing (formerly the UAMS Family Home), 4300 W. Markham Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205.
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