Patricia "Patty" Gilliland, 73, died of cancer on Nov. 8, 2023, peacefully in her home.
She was born on June 14, 1950, in southern California, the daughter of Richard and Marion Harold.
Patty graduated from JFK High School in Sacramento in 1968. Following graduation, she went on to Westmont College, where she graduated with a BA in Sociology. While there, she also met her best friend and future husband, Greg Gilliland. They married in 1974 and eventually relocated to Hot Springs, Ark. in 1983, where they have lived ever since. Patty retired from the State of Arkansas as a social worker in 2010, after which she enjoyed gardening, reading the Bible and spending time with family, especially her grandchildren.
In addition to her father, she was predeceased by a sister, Joy Walters, and a son-in-law, Jimmy Thomas.
Surviving in addition to her husband, Greg, are her daughter, Sara Courson, and her husband, Chad, and sons, Caleb and Nathan Thomas, of Texas; her son, Jeffrey Gilliland, of Texas and his son, Braxton; her daughter, Rebekah Van Orden, and husband, Joshua, and their children, Abigail and Zachary, of Tennessee; her mother, Marion, of Hot Springs; her sister, Maribeth Taylor, of Hot Springs; and her brother, Rick Harold, and his wife, Gail, of California.
The family will be hosting a private ceremony to honor the life of their beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.