Jacqueline “Jackie” Smelley Patterson, 79, of Talladega passed away on July 9, 2025. Graveside services will be held at Pine Hill Memorial Park on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 11:00 A.M. with Rev. Michael Gatch officiating. Her family will receive friends from 9:30 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. at Usrey Funeral Home of Talladega prior to the service.

Jackie was a lifelong resident of Talladega County. She graduated from Munford High School in 1963 and then received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jacksonville State University. She taught physical education and English before serving as a librarian in her 39-year career with the Talladega County School System. She co-founded the original girls' softball league in Talladega in the 1970s and then served as one of the first female T-ball coaches as well. After her retirement from teaching, she enjoyed crappie fishing, sunset pontoon cruises, jigsaw and word puzzles, perfecting the art of cooking creamed corn, and she was a member of Shiloh Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, JT and Annie Smelley, brothers, Charles, Teddy, and Arnold Smelley, and sisters, Virginia McDaniel-Masterson and Billie Bain.

She is survived by Larry Patterson, her loving and dedicated husband of 58 years, twin sons, Darian Patterson (Kellie) of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, and Barron Patterson (Burton Jablin) of Nashville, Tennessee, as well as siblings, JT Smelley, Jr., Arneta Prestridge, Joan Osborne, Norma Jean Alexander, and Jada Marie Milam. She leaves behind 2 grandsons, Cade and Sawyer Patterson, and a host of nephews, nieces, and many other family and friends who will cherish her memory.

Pallbearers will be Mark Phillips, Mike Sweatt, Charles Ray Griffith, Jay Milam, Jason Smelley, and Scott Spradlin.

Honorary pallbearers will be Hoyt Adair and Ray Milam.

As heartbroken as we are, our solace lies in these things: she would not want us to make a fuss; we know her legacy of kindness and pragmatism lives on not only in us, her family, but also in all those she taught and coached; she worked hard and built a beautiful life and was happy; she was loved very, very much and she knew this; and, as a woman of faith, we know she now numbers among the great cloud of witnesses forever and ever.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that any donations in her memory be made to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library online at www.donate.imaginationlibrary.com or by mail: The Dollywood Foundation C/O Finance Department, 111 E. Main Street, 2nd Floor, Sevierville, TN. 37862. Donations may also be made to the Talladega County Schools Education Foundation.

Online condolences may be offered at www.usreyfuneralhome.com.

Usrey Funeral Home of Talladega is directing the services.