I feel so lucky to be named after such an amazing woman. Aunt Bece always made me feel fabulous and special. She brought so much joy to every situation. She will be dearly missed. 

We have lost our beautiful Patrice. She was 13 years older than I, and when I was a child, I thought she was the classiest lady I knew. She was tall, leggy, stylish, quick-witted and so loving to me. One of the highlights of my childhood was Bece taking me to see Elvis perform at the Los Angeles Forum for my 10th birthday. From the moment the King stepped on the stage, she, I and every other female in the audience were in tears. It was an almost religious experience. In adulthood, we remained close, although there were usually thousands of miles between us. Whenever we got together, we picked up right where we had left off. We made each other laugh. One time, she worked for days to balance my checkbook that I hadn’t balanced in years. She reupholstered my dining room chairs. She tried to— unsuccessfully— to get me to care about my hairstyle and clothes, and warned that my failure to use moisturizer would lead to my skin “wrinkling like leather.” She always looked good and smelled good. She was smarter than she knew. She would have had a far different life if she had been born 15 years later. She was generous and loving and I will miss her for the rest of my life. May she rest in peace.