Evelyn Foote

Retired Army Brigadier General, Evelyn "Pat" Foote, a revered leader, mentor and fierce advocate for unrestricted opportunities for military women, died August 10, 2025 at the age of 95.
Pat Foote was born in 1930 in Durham, NC. Her family moved to Washington, DC in 1945 where she graduated from Central High School. She went on to graduate from Wake Forest University with a BA degree and earned a MS degree from Shippensburg University .
BG Foote was a career Army officer, serving on active duty from 1959 to 1989, rising to the rank of Brigadier General in 1986, one of only four women generals in the Army at the time. She commanded at every level from battalion to brigade and Army Installation .
A trailblazer, she was the first woman faculty member at the Army War College, the first female brigade commander in Europe, the first female Deputy Inspector General of the Army and the first female commanding general of Fort Belvoir, VA and Deputy Commander of the Military District of Washington. A Vietnam Army Veteran, she served as a public affairs officer in Long Binh from 1967-68.
Her highest awards included the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal and the Bundesverdienstkreuz, Erste Klasse, awarded by the German government for her service as Commander of the 42nd Military Police Group, from 1983 to 1985.
BG Foote continued to champion the role of women in the Army long after retirement. She served on the Board of Directors of the Military Women's Memorial from 1990 to 1998, giving voice to the contributions of military women and ensuring their place in history.
In 1994, she was appointed by President Clinton to the American Battle Monuments Commission and subsequently to the Site and Design Committee
of the WWII Memorial. She was instrumental in ensuring that a quote from a military woman would be included in the memorial's design.
BG Foote is survived by her long time partner, Dorene Steklasa of Woodbury, MN, nieces Pam Ham of Lilburn, GA, Carolyn Johnson of Frederick, MD and nephew Richard "Rick" Foote of Potomac, MD.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Evelyn W Foote and Henry A Foote, her brothers, Henry A Foote, JR and Richard C Foote; a niece, Brenda Turman and nephew, David Foote.
Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions in her name may be made to The Friends of the National WWII Memorial, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Unit 316, Washington, DC 20003.