Patricia Foree Dennis

Patricia passed away on Sunday, May 15, 2022 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Lenore (Powers) and James Colonel Foree on May 27, 1936.

Her high school years were spent at Crispus Attucks in Indianapolis, and she later attended and graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.

At Fisk she befriended  Grace Brooks, June Gregory, Shirley Davis, Adrienne Lash and Rose Johnson with whom she maintained long and close relationships, and met Philip H. Dennis, a Meharry Medical School student and her future husband.  

She began teaching elementary school in St. Louis in the 1960s and also taught in Indianapolis and Chicago. Patricia was a passionate educator who frequently quizzed former students on their educational and professional goals whenever their paths crossed. She retired after 20 years from Cole Elementary School in St. Louis City.

Patricia enjoyed and supported the arts. She loved jazz – especially Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra – and was a committed volunteer with the Black Repertory Theater. A life-long Democrat, she enthusiastically supported presidential candidate Barack Obama and volunteered for his 2007 campaign. Also a dog lover, Patricia housed, fed and spoiled a number of rescue dogs.

Patricia is survived by her two children, Lisette Dennis (Joe) and Philip Dennis (Sharon); beloved grandchildren, Philip, Paige and Chase and many nieces and nephews.

SERVICES: Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 29, 2022 from 1pm to 3pm in the Great Hall of Ambruster Chapel Funeral Home (Clayton, MO).