On Sunday morning, April 3, after a long battle with Alzheimer's, Patsy Lyle Derden, 81, of Montgomery, TX, passed away peacefully in her sleep and immediately stepped into the arms of Jesus.

Patsy was born in Tyler, Texas on November 25, 1940, to parents, Howard and Grace Lyle. She graduated from John Tyler High School and attended the University of Texas in Austin, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education, graduating in 1964. After graduation, she taught 2nd Grade at Rosedale Elementary, in Austin, Texas.

Patsy met her husband of 58 years, Albert L. Derden, at the University of Texas. They were married at First Presbyterian Church of Tyler, in 1964. Albert worked for Texaco, Inc., and throughout his career the two called many different places home, including Corpus Christi, San Antonio (twice), and Houston (three times), Texas, as well as Tulsa, Oklahoma, White Plains, New York, Orlando, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. After Albert's retirement from Texaco, the couple settled on their peaceful waterfront property on Lake Conroe, in Montgomery, TX, where they have lived for the past 22 years.

Patsy and Albert have two children, Albert Christopher (Chris) Derden and Laura Elizabeth Hargrove. Chris and his wife, Melaney, live in Houston, TX, and have two sons, Lyle (22) and William (20), who attend the University of Texas in Austin. Laura and her husband, Jeff, live in Spring, TX, and have two children, Fisher (21), a junior at Baylor University, and Adeline (16), a junior at Klein High School. Though Patsy made dear friends everywhere they lived, her fondest times were spent at their home on Lake Conroe surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Though Patsy was gifted in many ways, she was uniquely skilled at memorization, especially scripture and hymns. Every Christmas, as the family listened, she would recite from memory the story of Christ's birth from Luke Chapter 2. And, in moments that called for Biblical wisdom, she was readily armed to share the perfect passage of scripture that spoke aptly to the situation at hand. It was a beautiful gift, and the family was deeply blessed by her continual reminders of God's word.

As Alzheimer's continued to rob her memory, sadly, she began to forget the names of friends and family, and eventually she forgot most of what she'd always known and loved over her lifetime. But remarkably, she never forgot a word from the many truths of scripture she had memorized, and she was able to sing along with the words of every gospel hymn that the family continually played for her. This is because God's Word was precious to Patsy, and, as the Psalmist reminds, like a precious treasure, she had hidden it safely in her heart. It remained there, permanently on the hard drive of her soul, and though the disease sought to empty nearly all the spaces where her precious memories were stored, it was as if her mind remained beautifully wallpapered with the beauty of God's word until her final breath.

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in your heart and mind, as you teach and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Proverbs 25:11

Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.

Isaiah 40:8

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.