Patricia Riddle Gaddis Clark

Patricia Riddle Gaddis Clark, 71, passed from death to the perfection of eternal life on August 24, 2025. She was surrounded by the love of her family. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Patricia was the daughter of the late Glenn and Wilma (Fox) Riddle, and is preceded in death by her brother Robert Riddle and sister Sylvia Riddle Huggins. Patricia was a loving Christian and a member of the Episcopal Church. She spent her life in the service of others, attempting to live her faith through actions and deeds. She worked as an advocate for victims of domestic violence at REACH of Haywood County and the 30th Judicial District Alliance and became an expert witness, testifying in several court cases across the country. Patricia’s passion was the written word. She had the heart of a poet. Over her life, she published dozens of short stories and poems in magazines and literary journals, winning the prestigious Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Award for Written Excellence in Poetry in 1994. She also published three books, Battered But Not Broken: Help For Abused Wives and their Church Families (1996), Dangerous Dating: Helping Young Women Say No to Abusive Relationships (2000), and Escape to the Biltmore (2018) that won first place historical category and overall winner in the Touched by Love Contest from Romance Writers of America and was a finalist in the ACFW Genesis competition. She was the fiction editor for Woman's World Magazine (2008-2018) and continued as a story contributor in that department. During that same period, she was also editor of My Guardian Angels column, features editor, and contributor for Woman’s World. She has also published numerous short stories and articles in Angels on Earth, Guidepost, and Christian Science Monitor. She became a literary agent in 2015 and worked to help writers develop their careers until the time of her passing. Patricia is survived by her loving and devoted husband, Vincent Clark, her son and daughter-in-law, Shawn and Catt Gaddis, her sister Vicki Riddle Ottinger Currin (Michael Currin), and her beloved nephews and niece, Marty Riddle, Scott Riddle, Todd Riddle, Jim Stevens, Glenn Ottinger, John Ottinger, and Donna Ottinger Hall. May light perpetual shine upon her.

Patricia Riddle Gaddis Clark

December 13, 1953 - August 24, 2025