Patricia Jane Palczewski

Patricia “Patti” Palczewski — known to most simply as Grandmommy — passed away peacefully at home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on the evening of Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family after years of facing the devastating, unyielding progression of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 77.

Patti was born on May 16, 1948, in Dover, New Hampshire, to Joseph Leroy Chandler and Edna Mary (Brennan) Chandler. From her earliest days, she carried a spark of tenacity and grace that would define every chapter of her life. A sharp businesswoman and an entrepreneur in the medical device industry, she built a life on her own terms — driven by an unshakable will to take care of the people she loved.

Patti had a fiery temper to match her fiery red hair, and a stubborn streak that ran just as deep. She was particular about the company she kept and fiercely protective of the people inside her circle — but when she loved you, she loved you all the way. There was no halfway with Patti. Her glamour was unmistakable, her loyalty was absolute, and her opinions were her own.

To her family, she was Grandmommy — a name spoken with the kind of softness reserved only for the people who shape you. And somewhere along the way, the name spread well past blood: friends, in-laws, even her caregivers eventually found themselves calling her Grandmommy too. That was simply who she was — the matriarch who taught everyone around her what it meant to be strong, stylish, and unshakably loyal to your own. Among her many loves, she shared a particularly tender bond with her great-granddaughter Avah, helping to shape the bright, spirited young person Avah is today.

Outside of family, Patti’s great love was the Kennel Club, where she spent years showing bulldogs — a world that suited her perfectly: a little glamorous, a little stubborn, and built on a fierce devotion to the ones she championed.

She also knew how to enjoy a life well lived. Patti loved a good shopping trip, the bright lights of Las Vegas, and the Jersey Shore — a place she swore was filled with character, much like herself. They were the kind of escapes where she could be exactly who she was: stylish, lively, and the most magnetic person in the room.

Even as Alzheimer’s slowly took her memory, it could never take her spirit. In her final years, she was cared for by family who considered it the highest honor to give back even a fraction of what she had given them. She passed on Mother’s Day — a final, fitting tribute to the mother, grandmother, and matriarch she was.

Survived By

Patti is survived by her loving family, including:

Son: Terry Reese Payne

Daughter: Angela Michelle Watson

Sister: Cathy Mary Marlowe

Grandchildren: Elizabeth Rose Payne, David Chase Payne, Danny Ray Watson III, Chasten Lee Warwick, Melanie Warwick, and Chelsey Blair Masood

Great-Grandchildren: Gray Lee Warwick, Ayson Thomas Masood, Aerilyn E. Masood, and Avah Maged Kasdallah

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Leroy Chandler and Edna Mary Brennan Chandler.

Services

Visitation · Monday, May 18, 2026 · 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Woodfin Memorial Chapel

1488 Lascassas Pike, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130

Graveside Service & Burial to Follow

Evergreen Cemetery

519 Greenland Drive, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130

The family wishes to extend heartfelt gratitude to Home Helpers for the extraordinary care, kindness, and respect they showed Patti throughout her final years. A special thank you to her beloved hospice nurses, Lyndsay and Maggie — two women whose compassion, patience, and tenderness made all the difference for Patti and for our entire family.

In Lieu of Flowers

The family invites you to honor Patti’s memory with a donation to one of the causes closest to her heart:

The Alzheimer’s Association

In support of the families still walking the road she walked. Donate online at alz.org or by mail to Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.

The Bulldog Club of America Charitable Fund

In honor of her years of showing and loving the breed. Donate at bulldogclubofamerica.org.

“To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors of life.”

Rest peacefully, Grandmommy.

You were — and always will be — loved beyond measure.