Patricia Ann Childers

Patricia Ann Gorsuch Childers left this worldly plain surrounded by family on Sunday, August 10, 2026, just 9 days before what would have been her 78th birthday. Patricia, known to all as Pat or AjiPat, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 19, 1948, to Harry & Annabelle Gorsuch.

Pat was an only child but was raised among many cousins and family friends. After graduating from Southwest High School, Pat attended college at then Southwest Missouri State University, where she met the father of her two sons, Wilson Keith Childers. After a number of years as a full-time mother to Kenneth Wilson and Stephen Curtis, Pat returned to college, earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in teaching. She taught one year at Strafford High School, then moved to Marshfield Junior High School to teach Eighth Grade Language Arts. Until she retired from teaching, Pat was a positive influence to hundreds of Marshfield teens. 

Pat felt strongly connected to the planet and other humans. She became a certified life coach and authored books and articles in that field. Pat returned to St. Louis to reside in her childhood home until her health began to decline and she returned to Springfield to be closer to her sons. She was well cared for at the Strafford Care Center until her death, where she said her final words of love to her family around suppertime last Sunday. AjiPat was grandmother to five: Wilson Alexander, twins Kennedy Ann and Claudia Eve, Sylvia Sloan, and Ella Mae.

A celebration of Pat’s life will be held Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m., at the Marshfield United Methodist Church under the direction of Fraker Funeral Home, Inc.

Memorial contributions may be made in her name to The Marshfield Public Schools Foundation to help provide scholarships and teacher grants. (marshfieldpsf.org)