Pat Wallace

Pat Thomas Darrell Wallace passed away Saturday, April 23, 2022, following a year-long decline in health and complications from cancer.

Pat was born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He attended the University of Alabama, where he met Loretta Alldredge. They married five months before completing their undergraduate degrees. Pat later completed both master’s and doctoral degrees in education from the University of Alabama.

Pat’s life was devoted to education. After teaching in several high schools, he joined the staff of Jefferson State Community College when it opened in 1965 and served there until his retirement in 1987. As the Associate Dean of Vocational Education, he was responsible for the practical education of generations of young people. After retiring from public education, he formed his own company to provide innovative instruction for law enforcement agencies across the region.

Pat was a longtime member of Hilldale Baptist Church in Center Point, Alabama, where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. More recently, he was a member of Lakeside Baptist Church in Hoover, Alabama for the past 20 years.

Pat will be remembered as a person whom everyone instantly warmed to, always liked, and respected for his consistent leadership and abiding faith. But he will surely be remembered more for his deep love for his family and Crimson Tide football.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Claude Wallace Sr. and LaTrieve Wallace; brothers, Claude Wallace Jr. and Jerry Wallace; sisters, Betty Brand and JoAnn Gulledge; and his granddaughter, Arlen Wallace.

Pat is survived by his loving wife of 65 years, Loretta Wallace; children, Melanie (Danny) Richards and Joel (Holly) Wallace; grandchildren, Nathan Richards, Luke Richards, Andrew Wallace, and Anna Wallace (fiancé Aubrey Harper); sister, Martha (Jack) Miller; and brother, Larry (Marsha) Wallace.

Visitation will be held at Jefferson Memorial Gardens, Trussville, Alabama at 11:00 am on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, with a memorial service in the chapel at noon. Interment will follow in the gardens.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes, Attn: Ministry Development, 2681 Rocky Ridge Lane, Birmingham, AL 35216, or online at alabamachild.org.