Patricia "Pat" Ann Kelly Ladner

Patricia Ann Kelly Ladner

(affectionately known as Pat, Sister, and Mimi)

Patricia Ann Kelly Ladner, age 80, of Pass Christian, Mississippi, went to be with her Heavenly Father on October 21, 2025, after a courageous four-year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She passed peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family and under the compassionate care of St. Joseph’s Hospice of Gulfport.

Born on March 1, 1945, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to her parents, Martin J. Kelly, Sr. and Louise Posner Kelly, Pat grew up in Henderson Point, Mississippi, as the second eldest of eight children. She spent her childhood enjoying the beauty of Bay St. Louis and its surrounding waters.

Pat’s Catholic faith was her guiding light. After graduating high school in 1962 from Our Lady Academy (successor to St. Joseph’s Academy) in Bay St. Louis, she entered the Convent of the Sisters of Mercy in St. Louis, Missouri, where she served faithfully for seven years before returning to Pass Christian. Soon after her return, she met her husband, Wayne, and the two were married on November 21, 1970. Between 1970-1976, they were stationed in Fort Rucker, Alabama, before being reassigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during Wayne’s active duty in the United States Army. They moved to New Orleans in 1976, where they raised their family before returning to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005 for retirement.

Pat’s compassion for others and love of learning shaped her distinguished 35-year career in nursing and education. She earned an Associate of Science from Mercy Junior College in St. Louis; a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marillac College in St. Louis; a Master of Science in Counseling and Guidance from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama; and a Master of Nursing from Louisiana State Medical Center in New Orleans.

Her professional career included teaching at George C. Wallace Junior Community College in Dothan, Alabama; Sampson Technical Institute in Clinton, North Carolina; and Touro Infirmary School of Nursing and Charity/Delgado School of Nursing in New Orleans. She served as the Director of Nursing at Touro Infirmary School of Nursing, a Director of Nursing at Tulane University Medical Center, and later as the Nursing Practice Consultant for the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.

Pat was appointed by the Governor of Louisiana to the State Board of Medical Examiners Advisory Committee and served on advisory boards for Loyola University and several professional organizations, including Sigma Theta Tau, the American Nurses Association, and the Louisiana Organization of Nurse Executives. Among her many honors, she received the Community Service Award and was recognized as one of the “Great 100 Nurses” of New Orleans. She also co-authored the nursing textbook Fundamentals of Nursing: Standards & Practice, used by nursing students nationwide entering the profession.

After returning to the Coast in 2005, Pat served as the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Volunteer Coordinator for three Catholic churches in DeLisle, Mississippi, organizing volunteers from across the country and leading workshops on infection control and coping with loss. A devoted member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Pass Christian, Pat participated in numerous ministries, taught Bible studies, and inspired others through her deep faith and gentle strength.

Pat lived life to the fullest and made friends wherever she went. She was a gifted gardener who delighted in her flowers and watching hummingbirds from her front porch. Her Cajun cooking and baking reflected her heritage and hospitality. Above all, she was the heart of her family—raising four children guided by faith, love, and grace. She found immeasurable joy in her seven grandchildren and one great-grandson, whom she adored beyond measure and cherished every moment spent with. Her radiant smile, southern warmth, and generous spirit will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

Pat is preceded in death by her loving parents; father-in-law, Claiborne J. Ladner; mother-in-law, Beatrice Williams Ladner; brothers, Martin J. Kelly, Jr., John Michael Kelly, Thomas P. Kelly, and Brian J. Kelly; sister, Catherine Kelly Koch, and her husband, Edward G. Koch, Sr.; brothers-in-law, Luther D. Ladner and Robert J. Street; and nephew, Dennis F. Kelly, Jr.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 54 years, Wayne J. Ladner, Sr.; sister, Mary Kelly Street; brother, Dennis F. Kelly, Sr. (Kristin); sister-in-law, Shannon Leary Ladner; children, Kelly Ladner Kiviko (Todd), Wayne J. Ladner, Jr. (Amy), Gretchen A. Ladner, and Michael T. Ladner (Jordan); grandchildren, Leah Ladner Martin (Dylan), Charles L. Lee III, Thomas W. Lee, Cooper J. Ladner, Michael T. Ladner, Jr., Joshua C. Ladner, and Paige E. Ladner; great-grandson, Knox M. Martin; and many beloved nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Family and friends are invited to the visitation on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 9062 Kiln Delisle Road, Pass Christian, MS 39571. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:00 p.m., followed by a reception and meal in the Parish Hall. Interment will take place after the reception in Bayou LaCroix Cemetery, Hancock County, Mississippi.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Riemann Family Funeral Home, Pass Christian, is honored to serve the Ladner family.