Patricia Cowart "Pat" Tully

Patricia Cowart Tully (Pat) was born on February 28, 1929, in St. Augustine, Florida. She was the daughter of Owen C. Cowart and Cattie Johnson Cowart, both of whom preceded her in death.
Patricia was the youngest of seven children and attended local elementary schools and Ketterlinus High School. Upon graduation, she began work as a secretary at Milton Bacon & Associates Advertising Company. In 1949, she participated in a Fourth of July beauty pageant, donning an iconic white bathing suit reminiscent of Ester Williams in the film "Neptune's Daughter." The resulting photos featuring Pat against the backdrop of St. Augustine's pristine beaches and the Lighthouse jumpstarted a brief modeling career. In addition to posing for ads promoting St. Augustine's many local attractions, Pat was the centerpiece of a public relations campaign for "Distant Drums," a Gary Cooper film that was shot in Florida and premiered in St. Augustine. Later in life, Pat would recall the glamor of traveling to New York as part of the campaign and meeting Cooper in person.
However, it was not Gary Cooper that swept Pat off her feet. In 1950, a young banker and fellow St. Augustine native Don Tully spotted Pat as she was making a routine deposit for the agency at the Exchange Bank of St. Augustine. A colorful 18-month courtship ensued. Pat and Don were married on June 1, 1952, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine and enjoyed 64 years of marriage until Don's death in 2017. Upon welcoming their first of five children, Pat dedicated herself to her growing family and supporting Don in his developing banking career. Though she would never own up to her talents, Pat was an excellent seamstress, and in addition to designing and sewing her own wedding gown she spent many late nights sewing clothing and costumes for her children. She was also a skilled cook and baker and enjoyed collecting and preparing traditional southern and Cowart family recipes. She was a member of the Garden Club and loved creating floral arrangements from her own cutting garden. She was also a participant in an informal mahjong group which met weekly at members' homes. Pat became an avid golfer when her children were older and served as President of the St. Augustine Ladies Golf Association. She was also a member of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine and served on PTA committees at her children's schools. After 38 years in the banking industry, Don and Pat purchased and co-managed Rainbow Travel Bureau. During this time Pat and Don enjoyed travel throughout the United States, Canada, the European continent, China, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.
Though she never pursued higher education, Pat had an inquisitive mind and derived a quiet enjoyment from singing, reading, and learning new skills. She nurtured a lifelong passion for music having sung for a local radio station in her youth. In addition to enjoying fiction novels, she also wrote and maintained diaries throughout her life, recording events from her teenage and young adult years that bring to life a bygone era. One entry describes volunteering as a "spotter" during WWII tasked with searching for enemy aircraft perched from a tower along St. Augustine's coast. When computers first became prevalent in homes, Pat was an early adopter and used her newfound digital skills to nurture her curiosity of her family history. She began sleuthing Ancestry.com, pouring over vital records and old newspaper clippings, tracing her and Don's family trees back to the mid-1600s. In 2011, she attended the first Cowart family reunion as the last surviving child of Owen and Cattie Cowart, and she continued to thrill in finding and documenting family stories and connecting with relatives throughout her later years.
Pat is survived by her daughters Teresa (Dail) Taylor, Celia (Cici) Tully and Donna (Josh) Ellis; and her sons Duane (Sean) Tully and Barry (Candace) Tully. She is also survived by her four grandchildren, Dustin (Kathy) Tully, Allison (Robert) Hennessy, Megan (Brett) Barnette and Eden (Jason) Farmer; and great-granddaughters Blythe and Emma Hennessy, Delaney and Riley Farmer, and Leighton Barnette. Pat's brothers Lawson, Austin, Dewitt and Melba Cowart, and sisters Agnes Hudnall and Eunice Ponce predeceased her.
The Tully family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to Community Hospice and Pat's caregivers, Susie, Jean, Marsha, Chelsea, April, Gloria and Paula for their compassion and devotion during the final months and years of her life.
A service will take place at Craig Funeral Home at 11:00am on May 9, 2024, with interment immediately following at San Lorenzo Cemetery. Flowers are gratefully declined and in lieu the family would welcome contributions in Pat's honor to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida Bailey Family Center for Caring.