Patricia Clark Royalty

Pat was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. She spent her adolescent and high school years in an apartment in the Hyde Park area and her summers on a farm in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. She lived in Chicago, Beloit, and Boston, but spent the longest stretch of her life in Atlanta. In addition to family and friends, her lifelong loves were reading, keeping numerous dogs as close companions, cooking, gardening, traveling, art, community, and lay ministry.

She attended Beloit College in Wisconsin, graduating cum laude in 1954 as a dual major in psychology and cultural anthropology and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She moved to Atlanta in 1962 and stayed for the rest of her life, embracing the rich culture of the area. Pat was awarded a Master of General Studies from Emory University in 1984, with a concentration in theology, sociology, and psychology. She spent time as a chaplain at Grady Memorial Hospital as part of a training program, which became a formative and cherished chapter in her life. Grady Memorial came full circle to support Pat, playing a role in her last days as well.

Pat was involved in numerous political and community initiatives through the decades, including working on public education through the League of Women Voters, serving as a member of the Northwest-Perry Cluster, a coalition of churches supporting what was the Perry Homes Public Housing Project, and supporting Maynard Jackson’s mayoral campaigns. She later served as a member of Mayor Jackson’s campaign advisory board and on the Executive and Housing Committees of his transition team in the late 1980s, as well as on numerous City of Atlanta boards. These included the Board of Economic Opportunity Atlanta, the Board of the Fulton/Atlanta Community Action Authority (FACAA), and the Atlanta Community Relations Commission, where she was chair of the Public Awareness Committee.

After the death of her husband, Bob, in 1991, Pat joined Friendship Force International as a traveler. Her strong organizational skills and belief in its mission of building global unity through human connection quickly positioned her as a trip leader. She led trips to Ghana, South Africa, the Middle East, China, and numerous journeys to Russia beginning soon after the breakup of the Soviet Union, including trips to Moscow and Siberia. Chip Carter, Jimmy Carter’s son, was involved in Friendship Force and joined her on some of these trips, paving the way for a luncheon with Yasser Arafat and a meeting with Bishop Desmond Tutu.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, she went into full-throttle travel mode, splitting her time among Atlanta; Stillwaters Farm in Pine Mountain, Georgia; house-sitting in Putney, South London; and renting a palazzo in Florence, Italy, above the American Episcopal Church rectory. European travel fed her love of art and good food, with trips to museums in London and Florence, as well as shopping at the Central Market in Florence to prepare Italian meals for her family during visits. Her last trip abroad was in 2014, when she visited her son and daughter-in-law, Bob and Anne, at Harlaxton College in Lincolnshire. She spent two weekends in London on either end of this week-long stay at the 19th-century Harlaxton Manor.

In 2022, she moved into St. Anne’s Terrace, next to her beloved St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. She soon became central to the community life at the Terrace and spent her time leading initiatives in recycling and reducing plastic use, advising the chef on cooking, and contributing to the monthly newsletter by writing introductory portraits of new residents. She loved the Terrace poetry group and “I Remember” club, sharing some of her essays with friends and family. She treasured the staff and residents at the Terrace, who engaged with her in numerous meaningful conversations and lent an ear to her wise and frequent advice. She fully enjoyed and savored the rich community and social opportunities. It was a wonderful place for her to spend her last years.

She is survived by her children, Virginia Beth Royalty, Robert M. Royalty Jr. (Anne), Patricia Natanagara (Al), and Sarah Pinkelman (Brian); and her grandchildren, Margaret, Nolen, Ginna, Nicholaus, Rosa, Leila, and Celeste.

She was predeceased by her parents, Daniel and Margaret Clark; her brother, Daniel Clark Jr.; her sister, Marguerite Hanson; her husband, Robert M. Royalty; and her son, John G. Royalty.

A memorial service will take place at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta on October 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta or Mtoto Africa.