09/27/2024
Presley’s Outing will be closed today through Wednesday, October 2nd as we mourn the loss of our beloved father, son, brother and uncle, Pat Presley. We invite you to join us in celebrating his life and the many ways he touched ours. Details below.
Pat Presley, a longtime Jackson County resident passed away on September 25, 2024. An uncommonly strong person in spirit, body and mind, Pat was widely beloved by many who relied on his steadiness, compassion and kindness. He led with humility and humor and was respected widely for his objective and thoughtful input, whether it be professional counsel, personal advice or encouragement.
Affectionately known as Pat to all who knew him, he was born to the late Willie Lynn Presley, Jr. and Anna Ruth Presley, Pat was a 1969 graduate of Moss Point High School, where he was Historian and Class President. He went on to Mississippi State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1974.
That same year, Pat became the youngest member elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives, in which he served 15 years in office. Pat served on multiple committees and wrote or sponsored bills in the areas of education, conservation, water resources, highways and financing. During his tenure as a State Representative, Pat was most proud of creating such noteworthy legislation as the State’s first mandatory seat belt law, and the planting of magnolia trees to mark the entrance to Mississippi from surrounding states on all of its major highways.
In 1990, Pat was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He endured several years of aggressive chemotherapy treatments while bone marrow drives were organized to find a donor. According to the National Bone Marrow Registry, Pat’s drives produced the most potential donors on behalf of one patient in the registry’s history.
Pat was the 10th patient diagnosed with Acute Hybrid Leukemia, and the first to survive the disease through an experimental bone marrow treatment pioneered at Stanford University Medical Center. His treatment became the protocol followed thereafter to save the lives of similarly affected patients when a donor cannot be found.
Early in Pat’s career, he worked for Chevron before moving to become their Director of Government Affairs. He subsequently worked as Vice President of External Affairs for British Petroleum before retiring. Pat came out of retirement to work in an advisory capacity as a community liaison for BP on behalf of his community and State in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
It is difficult to describe the impact and presence of Pat Presley. A gifted but exceedingly humble and hard working man, Pat was a deeply regarded unforgettable person with a unique ability to inspire others. He motivated people in a caring way that made each individual feel understood and acknowledged, while also bringing people together in common accord to address issues, resolve problems and inspire positive action.
In his retirement, Pat loved serving his church community, spending time with his beloved daughters, mother, family and friends, while cultivating the landscape and orchards in and around Presley’s Outing with vibrant plantings of unusual species that he sourced during his travels.
Pat was preceded in death by his father and young sister, Teresa Ann Presley. Those left to cherish his memory are his loving daughters, Camille Erin Presley and Valerie Anna Presley; his mother, Anna Presley, his siblings, William Lynn (Nannette) Presley, Sandra (Keith) Driskell, Twila (Scott) Darnell, and Jimmy (Pam) Presley; the mother of his children, Michele Presley, along with numerous nieces, nephews, and dear friends.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at the Presley’s Outing Boat House, 10501 Presley’s Outing Road, Moss Point, MS, 39562. The funeral service will follow by the water beginning at 4:00 p.m. with Bro. John Pemberton and Bro. Jonathan Greer officiating. Interment will be held at Presley’s Private Family Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Pat’s memory are made to either The Cancer Discovery Fund at Stanford University Medical Center (www.give.stanford.edu) in thanks for giving him an additional 30+ years of life to raise his girls; the National Bone Marrow Registry (www.nmdp.org), or the Franklin Creek Baptist Church (www.franklincreek.org/giving) with a note: In Memory of Pat Presley.
