Patricia Fay James Whittaker

Patricia Fay Whittaker passed away September 10th, 2023 after a lifelong battle with asthma among other ailments. She was born July 25th, or maybe the 24th, 1957 in Salida Colorado. She graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1975.

Patty grew up on a small farm in Buena Vista Colorado with parents Floyd and Jessie James, brother Steven, and sister Loral. With her asthma she wasn’t able to participate in a lot of the farm activities and this is where her love of crafts came from. Jessie always had some type of craft for Patty to do from crochet, Tri-Chem, painting, sewing, gardening, calligraphy and of course ceramics.

While working as a waitress Patty met Joe Whittaker and they married in 1981. She had 4 children, Jessie (Helen), Patrick, David (Bridget) and Nichole. She was blessed with 3 grandchildren, Daizee, Aspyn and Haizlynn. These were the love of her life.

Patty was an accomplished artist and won many awards including 2 Peggy Awards. In 1987, after being unhappy at her job, she decided to open a ceramic store and Patty’s Ceramics was born in Orem Utah. In 1999 she moved to Provo and has become the largest ceramic store in Utah. After becoming a certified teacher she started teaching painting classes. She required all of her students to enter their pieces into the State fair, where she took hundreds of the entries to and from the fair each year. Her students won many many awards and that brought Patty great joy.

She loved the outdoors where she would ride ATV’s, gather firewood and go rock hunting. Patty loved riding on the back of the motorcycle with Joe. She would take scores of pictures’ as they rode across the country. Her favorite destinations were the Pacific Ocean and the Redwoods. Patty and Joe traveled across the U.S. and Europe along with several cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean.

A green thumb was one of Patty’s many attributes. She loved flowers and getting her hands in the dirt. Every spring she would plant hundreds of flowers in pots of all shapes and sizes. If it would hold dirt Patty would plant a flower in it. After the planting was done she would adorn the pots with whirlygurds (pin wheels) and if they were indoor plants there was a solar dancer next to it.

Patty loved to talk to people and that was her biggest asset. Sarcasm was only one of her qualities and she could give it as well as take it and you never wanted to get into a battle of words. She was loved by her students and many of her customers. She always said she had the best customers in the world and many of them became close friends.

Among Patty’s traits was her giving nature. She gave to all of her kids, and she had lots of kids throughout the years. Some of these included MDA, Woman’s Shelters, Food and Care Coalition, NICU, BPOE Charities and BSA Troop 51 (Thunderbird Legacy Foundation.)

Patty is preceded in death by her father Floyd James, mother Jessie James, son Patrick and older brothers Larry James and Bill James.

There will be a Celebration of Life on Friday September 22nd from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Provo Elks Lodge, 1000 South University Avenue Provo, Utah. This is an informal event. Shorts and T-shirts welcome.
In lieu of flowers the family requests making a donation in Patty’s name to the Thunderbird Legacy Foundation C/O Provo Elks Lodge 1000 South University Avenue Provo, Utah 84601.