Patricia Ann Carney Lockett

Patricia Ann Carney Lockett
On November 19, 2022 in Paducah, Kentucky, Patricia Ann Carney Lockett (Patty) crossed over. She was a beloved mother, sister, grandmother, friend, and neighbor who was known for her wise advice, her quick wit, her sense of style, and her generous spirit.
 
Patty was a great storyteller who often regaled those she loved with the tale of riding in a boat with her father through the family home during the Great Flood of 1937. She graduated from Tilghman High School in Paducah in 1948 and married Pete Lockett in 1949. Patty and Pete moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where they had and raised their two children, Sharon and Bill. Pete was the Navy veteran, but it was Patty who ran the tight ship. The couple loved collecting antiques and welcoming friends into their west Knoxville home. Their lively den, which included an old slot machine and jukebox, could quickly be converted into a dance floor.  
 
Patty was known for her love of decorating, especially during the Christmas season. She made wonderful cornbread, biscuits, and chocolate pie, but she could only make one kind of cake. She loved to play bridge, get dressed up, dance, read romance novels, and watch old movies, especially ones featuring Elizabeth Taylor, who she called Liz. She wore Liz’s perfume, White Diamonds, and Patty always looked fabulous in every photograph. She loved to strike a pose. She was known to ride on the back of a Harley Davidson. She never opened all her presents on her birthday or Christmas, but instead saved her gifts to open throughout the year, making the celebration last. She took her morning coffee with hazelnut cream.
 
Patty never forgot a birthday. But she warned her family not to include hers in her obituary.
 
Patty lived in Knoxville for 52 years before moving back home to Paducah to be near her sisters, Sue and Gayle. Sue, Gayle, and Patty were a force of nature. They went to exercise classes (which Patty called “jumping class”) and social and community events, and they loved to gallivant all over the region in pursuit of antiques. Patty volunteered at Western Baptist Hospital for almost 20 years, where she was recognized with numerous awards throughout the years.
 
Patty is survived by her daughter, Sharon Lockett Smith, son-in-law Floyd Smith, granddaughters Bonnie Smith Whitehouse and Kelly Smith Trimble, grandsons-in-law Ben Whitehouse and Derek Trimble, and great-grandsons Henry Smith Whitehouse and Peter Lockett Whitehouse; her son, William Soaper Lockett Jr. (Bill), daughter-in-law Dawn Lenning Lockett, and grandson Stephen Andrew Lockett; and her sisters Sue Carney Chappell and Gayle Carney Crenshaw. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Soaper Lockett (Pete); her parents, Leon and Kathryn Carney; her brother, Paul Gerald Carney; and her grandson, William Soaper Lockett III (Trent). She deeply loved her many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family members.
 
She also had many close friends throughout her life, and she worked hard to cultivate and nurture deep friendships. Special surviving friends include Rebecca Robinson, Joyce Sabo, and Bill Thompson. She was cared for in her final year by numerous compassionate caregivers, as well as the thoughtful and loving staff at Park View Nursing and Rehabilitation.
 
We imagine that she is now dancing with the angels and her loved ones. Please honor Patty by singing Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In” by Louis Armstrong, and, if you wish, by donating in her honor to any of the following organizations: Grace Episcopal Church of Paducah 820 Broadway St. Paducah, KY 42001, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105, CASA Project of McCracken County P.O. Box 1262 Paducah, KY 42001, and Thistle Farms 5122 Charlotte Pike Nashville, TN 37209. 
 
Funeral rites and a celebration of her life will be held at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, November 22, at Grace Episcopal Church in Paducah. Friends and family are invited to attend a gathering afterward at Patty’s home. The family will announce an additional interment of ashes beside her late husband in Highland Memorial Cemetery on Kingston Pike and a gathering in Knoxville at a later date.
 
Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Paducah is in charge of arrangements.
 
You May share a Hug from Home, leave a message or light a candle at www.milnerandorr.com