Sharon Kay West Pate

An April Fool, Sharon was born in Beaumont, Texas, to Olga (“Wanda”) and Jeff West. Like many men of his age, Jeff left his childhood home in East Texas for the Golden Triangle, taking a job with Gulf Oil to do his part in the war. He would marry Wanda, bringing her down from Kirbyville and quickly starting a family. Woefully, Sharon’s mother lost her battle with cancer when Sharon was three. Living in Beaumont’s Multimax Village, whose residents included William G. Hall and J.P. Richardson (aka “the Big Bopper”), Jeff would meet and fall in love with another widower, Margaret (Perry) Raiford. Jeff and Marge’s marriage would gain Sharon not only a stepmother but also two siblings – Patsy and Bobby.

Sharon attended Pietzsch Elementary School and MacArthur Junior High School, graduating from South Park High School in 1962. Just a few weeks after her 22nd birthday, she married William Pate, and almost four years later gave birth to her only child, Jeremy.

After holding other roles at Lamar University, Sharon became an advisor for international students in 1979. Working with students who had come to Lamar to improve their lives through education invigorated Sharon, and she would go on to become the university’s first Director of International Student Services. Her work allowed her to travel abroad and introduce students to new opportunities. During her tenure with the university, she completed both her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Arts & Sciences Land and Master of Education in Education & Counseling Development.

Sharon left the Golden Triangle for Austin to work with the Texas International Education Consortium (TIEC), an organization of all the public universities in Texas to promote higher education internationally. She led TEIC’s sponsored students’ division, working with major international outlets such as Qatar Petroleum, to promote the value of Texas universities and colleges and help sponsored students navigate academic and immigration regulatory requirements. Beyond higher education, she helped plan an annual “Oita in Texas” language and culture program for high school students from Japan’s Oita Prefecture in conjunction with the Austin-Oita Sister City Committee.

At 60, she retired from her storied career in educational services and moved to the Bolivar Peninsula, spending many years savoring the sun and salt air of coastal living – even finding ways to continue working with students. When a progressive, genetic disorder began to take its toll on her independence, Sharon never wavered in her optimism and humor. She returned to Central Texas to spend her final years closer to family and friends.

Sharon is survived by her son, Jeremy (Phyllis); siblings, Patricia Raiford Horelica and Robert Raiford, Sr. (Judy); former sister-in-law, Sherry Outlaw (Dan); and nieces and nephews, Lee Pate Fischer (Bill), Steven Horelica, Melissa Horelica DeBois, Andrea Raiford Proctor (Don), Blake Outlaw (Audra), Catherine Raiford Sanders (Rocky), Carter Outlaw (Mariana), Matthew Horelica (Missy), Joseph Outlaw (Ann), Robert Raiford, Jr. (Tyler), Molly Outlaw Walter (Gregory), and William (“Whit”) Outlaw (Lynsie). In addition to the family, Sharon is survived by friends Gloria Bell and Johanna Elliot, both of whom provided thankless care and support over the past few years.

Sharon was preceded in death by her mother, Olga Wanda (Bean) West; father, Thomas Jefferson West; stepmother, Margaret Ann (Perry) West; brother-in-law, Billy Horelica; and her beloved dogs, Mr. Man and Jack.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Sharon’s memory to the Georgetown (Texas) Public Library, 402 W. 8^th Street, Georgetown, Texas 78626. The family would also like to thank the staff at Blue Water Homecare, who provided attentive care to Sharon in her last months, for which she herself was also grateful.

A gathering of Mrs. Pate’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Friday, April 5, 2024, at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin Avenue, Beaumont. Her memorial service will be 12:00 p.m., Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Calder Baptist Church, 1005 N. 11^th Street, Beaumont. Interment will be at Trout Creek Cemetery, Call.