Patti Retzloff
Lindsay Ainsworth | Published on 1/21/2021
A Celebration of Life
Patricia “Patti” June Hunter Goss Retzloff, died in the arms of her loved ones December 24, 2020, at the age of 94. Patti was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas on January 25, 1926, to Jessie Wadsworth and John Paul Hunter. Patti was predeceased by her first husband Robert Dixon Goss and their youngest son John David Goss (Trina), her second husband Henry “Hank-o” Retzloff, her sister Paula Swift and her brother Jim Fred Hunter.
Patti grew up in Fort Smith in a colorful family of big personalities. Her grandmother, Belle Wadsworth (whom we knew as “Great Big Mommy”) imbued Patti with a love of nature and of art. Patti gardened all her life (there were no weeds in her world, every sprout deserved to flourish), loved being outdoors and relished every sky and landscape.
She golfed and bicycled and had great times with all of us camping on islands in Lake Quachita, where she slalomed like a professional! When her second husband Hank-o introduced Patti to watercolors, she expressed a whole new aspect of her personality and painted until the end of her life. Patti was a signature member and a founding member of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists. She ran the newsletter for years. Her paintings grace our homes and the homes of family and many friends and businesses.