Obituary: Patricia Lee Adams
Patricia Lee Adams, a beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025, at the age of 75.
Pat grew up on a tobacco farm in Four Oaks, North Carolina, where she learned the value of hard work and an appreciation for the land. She met the love of her life, John Q. Adams V, when they were both attending North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Hand in hand, they built a life in Snow Hill, North Carolina where they raised a family, grew a farm, and built deep connections within the community.
Pat had a gift for teaching by doing. She showed her daughters, Meredith and Lauren, how to raise heifers, horses, pigs, and lambs, how to coax life from a garden, and how to serve up the kind of Southern meals that bring people together. With her enthusiasm for farm life, Pat found joy in community celebrations and healthy competitions, ensuring a strong Adams family showing in many 4-H, the N.C. State Fair, and regional agricultural and craft events. She became a sanctioned North Carolina Whole Hog Master Judge, a title earned after many years of perfecting Eastern NC BBQ alongside John.
Pat channeled her passion for childhood education into a career in service of public schools. She served on the Greene County Board of Education from 1994 - 2022, and as chairperson for 24 of those years. During her tenure, she helped lead transformative efforts to modernize rural education, including spearheading the construction of new school facilities and pioneering the integration of cutting-edge technology in classrooms. She was particularly proud of her work to help Greene County become one of the first districts nationwide to partner with Apple, ensuring students had access to a personal device. Dedicated to education and public service, Pat also served as a delegate to the NC School Board Association, as an NC State Extension State Advisory Council member, and was an Extension Master Gardener. She was also a member of the advisory committee for the Coastal Plains Boys and Girls Club and a member of the Greene County Economic Development Commission. She enjoyed a decade-long career with Wachovia/Wells Fargo before retirement.
Beyond her many accomplishments, Pat found joy in creative pursuits and simple pleasures. She had a painter’s eye, a gardener’s patience, and a birdwatcher’s wonder. She marveled at new technologies and breakthroughs in science, texting friends and family to remind them when the space station could be seen overhead. Pat and John shared enthusiasm for local antique auctions, estate sales, and thrift stores. They relished imagining the backstories of the objects they acquired, and their collection of oddities became legendary!
Pat loved a good story, a good joke, and most of all, a fabulous party. As she liked to say: “Life’s short! Have a party hat for every occasion.” Every summer, she cherished her decades-long tradition of Atlantic Beach trips with a close circle of friends, where she was always the witty narrator of the group’s adventures. Pat’s Southern hospitality was known the world over. For years, the Adams family hosted exchange students from Japan, the Netherlands, and France. They also introduced lots of Meredith and Lauren’s “city friends” to the charms of their family farm.
Calvary Memorial United Methodist Church was her spiritual home, and the love and support of her church family gave her strength through life’s joys and challenges. In recent years, Pat faced significant health challenges, the loss of her husband John of 35 years, and the passing of her daughter Meredith with remarkable courage, grit, and humor (with a little help from her friend Kermit and her faithful pup Sam), becoming an inspiration to those who knew her. Likewise, Pat was blessed to have an abundance of friends who lifted her with laughter and love, even in the hardest moments.
Pat is survived by her daughter, Lauren Frances Adams of Baltimore, Maryland, and Lauren’s husband, Jake Peterson. Pat is also survived by her mother, Geraldine Wheeler Lee of Four Oaks; her uncle, Don Wheeler of Durham; her sister, Michelle Lee Barbour of Four Oaks; her brother, Parlie Lee Jr. and his wife Kim Lee of Four Oaks. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law, Barbara Adams and Gale Nicholson of Norfolk, VA; and brother-in-law, Butch Adams of Washington, NC. Dear nieces and nephews include Bryn (Brandon) Barbour, Madi Brooke Barbour, Pamela Lee Wood, Preston Lee, Stephanie Hale, Sydney Hale and Avery Hale.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John Q. Adams V, her daughter, Meredith Lee Adams, and her father, Parlie Lee.
A memorial service for Pat Adams will be held at Calvary Memorial UMC in Snow Hill on Saturday, September 13 at 1:30pm. The family requests that you wear bright colors or a special hat, just as Pat would have wanted.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial to the "John Q Adams V Agriculture Endowment" at NC Agricultural Foundation, Box 7645, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695; or to the memorial fund at her church home, Calvary Memorial UMC, P.O. Box 445, Snow Hill, NC 28580; or to the Greene County Animal Shelter, 229 Kingold Blvd, Suite A, Snow Hill, NC 28580.
