Patricia Jeane Vawter

Patricia Jeane Vawter passed peacefully away on December 22, 2024, in the comfort of her home in Pipe Creek, Texas, on her parents’ ranch where she was raised.

She was born on Friday, June 13, 1941, at Nix Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, to Edwin and Thelma Jeane (Johnson) Vawter. A lifelong resident of Bandera County, Patricia had deep generational roots here and a strong sense of connection to both her family, friends and community.

Though she was not a religious woman, she loved God in her own personal and private way. She treated people kindly and loved and supported her family and friends as much as she possibly could.

Patricia retired in 2001 from the Bandera Electric Cooperative after 40 years of dedicated service. We were touched to see she was still remembered after all those years by some of her former co-workers at her funeral.

As a lifelong learner, she was a voracious reader who rarely watched television - unless her beloved San Antonio Spurs were playing. Her immense love of reading was not limited to any one subject, and her family admired her wide range of interests. She was a fiercely proud Texan, so among some of her favorite topics were the history of Texas and the life of Sam Houston. She also had a love for gambling and an absolutely uncanny knack for winning - often breaking even or coming out ahead. Her favorite game was video poker, and her family lost count of how many Royal Flushes she hit over the years. She took many joyful Thanksgiving trips to Las Vegas with her bonus children Dana, Clyde, and Bill. In later years, her son Jordan flew her and her daughter Daria to Winstar Casino in Oklahoma several times in his plane. Patricia’s favorite color was purple, and her only vices were Dr. Pepper and chocolate – but no mint allowed!

Patricia delighted in the fact that she was born on an “unlucky” Friday the 13th, however, she and her family always considered it an extremely lucky day indeed. She frequently received “birthday” wishes whenever a Friday the 13th appeared on the calendar, no matter the month.

She continually embraced ever-changing technology with curiosity and determination. During her tenure at Bandera Electric Cooperative, she helped the billing office convert to a computerized system when computers were first introduced in the organization. In retirement, she continued learning, including website maintenance and other technological skills.

She was very proud of her Cherokee heritage on her maternal side and was a registered member of the Cherokee Nation. She was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Since heritage was so important to her, she developed a huge interest in genealogy. She became talented, passionate, and meticulous in her research, building family trees that stretched back many generations for her own family and for others. She helped maintain the Vawter Family Association website, assisted with their newsletter, and attended Vawter family reunions in several states over the course of about twenty years. She and Daria shared many road trips to Louisiana and Oklahoma to gamble, often stopping at libraries and cemeteries along the way so Patricia could further her genealogical research.

Patricia cherished her classmates and maintained those friendships in one way or another throughout the decades and attended as many class reunions and social gatherings as possible. Her friends always remained in contact and were still checking on her regularly, even in her final days - especially James Herrera and Betty Jane D’Spain.

She loved all her cousins very much, but two relationships stood out: her maternal first cousin Loy Ed Alanis and her paternal first cousin Bettie Jo Studstill. They were both extremely special to her.

Patricia was preceded in death by her oldest son Jordan M. Johnston in January of 2023. She is survived by her daughter, Daria Williams and husband Jason; her son, Marcus Frazier Johnston and wife Jennifer; her “bonus” children, Dana Townsend and husband Clyde, and Bill Renton; her only sister, Joy Vawter Richter and husband Tom, as well as her niece Susan Zepeda and husband Stephen, and nephew Tommy Richter and wife Cherie; and her daughter-in-law Sandra Johnston. Patricia was a proud “Mawmaw” to ten grandchildren: Frances Byrd and husband Nathan, Kaitlin and Krista Johnston, Luke, Joshua, and Joseph Williams, Jessica Lloyd and husband Kevin, Ashley Ciomperlik and husband Jason, Kelli Townsend, and Trey Renton; and thirteen great-grandchildren.

The family extends special thanks to Peterson Hospice for their compassionate care and attention to Patricia’s needs, and especially to her oldest granddaughter, Frances Byrd, for the daily, loving, hands-on care you provided your grandmother in those final days. Mawmaw always knew you’d be a wonderful nurse, and you proved her right.

Patricia loved her family, and her family loved her back immensely. She was the jewel of our family, and her children and grandchildren will remember her as loving, kind, caring, funny, and intelligent - not to mention a true lady in every sense of the word. She is loved and missed every single day.

Patricia was laid to rest in Pipe Creek Cemetery alongside her son, Jordan, and many of her ancestors.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Grimes Bandera Funeral Chapel.