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John Patrick \u201cPat\u201d McAfee was born near Roswell, NM, perhaps not coincidentally two months after the UFO crash of 1947. His parents were Winfield Russell McAfee II, a college-educated WWII combat veteran of the Pacific theater, and Grace Mae Graves, a young woman with ambitions. They had two sons, W.R. McAfee III, now deceased, and five years later Pat. Pat\u2019s father worked and managed West Texas ranches, a minor misalignment with Grace\u2019s vision of her future life.<\/p>\n
This led to a parting of ways and turbulent times, with Pat often left to his own devices. During this period, he befriended books and a pet antelope, Governor, who slept with Pat and reinforced his nascent wild ways while also soothing his soul. Pat and his brother grew up in a West the rest of us can only imagine, but also spent time in Santa Fe, where their mother worked in state politics.<\/p>\n
Pat attended high school and junior college at New Mexico Military Institute and played football for a championship winning team. He left college after two years and enlisted in the Army as an officer in 1967 \u2013 unfortunate timing with Vietnam.<\/p>\n
During Green Beret training at Ft. Bragg, he met his wife, Elizabeth Jean Pinkham. It was close to love at first sight as Elizabeth, rightly, had reservations. But eight months later they married at Brown University and six weeks after that Pat was overseas with the 5th Special Forces Group. By miracles, Pat survived the war. His mind more focused, once back in school at University of Texas El Paso he obtained an English Literature degree like his wife.<\/p>\n
The couple moved to Asheville in 1972, and this colorful contradictory character began streaking through life like a shooting star \u2013 first teaching and coaching football at Christ School before landing at T.C. Roberson, where he coached wrestling, taught English, and became heavily involved in the drama program. There, his multi-decade friendship with fellow veteran Bill Hudson began. Pat and Elizabeth had their first and only child, John Lewis McAfee, in 1977 and from there Pat went on to: teach, coach and mentor youth; fish the rivers of WNC with Bill; write poetry and fiction; act in plays at ACT and Montford Park; vacation at the beaches of SC; become a Grandmaster with Mt. Hermon Masonic Lodge, open an old-and-rare bookstore in downtown Asheville with friend Bill; and own a gift store and chocolate shop at the Grove Park Inn.<\/p>\n
However, as numbers were not Pat\u2019s strong suit, he had to leave the business world and returned to teaching at A.C. Reynolds High School. There, he became the head of the drama department, where his creative chaos found its most perfect fit. He and his music teacher colleagues Bill and Janis Bryant staged masterful plays and musicals, and ACR’s Drama Building is named after all three. During this period Pat wrote and published several books, including the two of which he was most proud: Slow Walk in a Sad Rain and On Rims of Empty Moons.<\/p>\n
After living 30 years in Asheville and noticing a slight population growth, Pat and Elizabeth moved to Hendersonville. There Pat began working at the Kanuga Conference Center where his extroverted personality and adaptive storytelling skills made him an asset. He also became active with the Arts Council of Henderson County and reconnected with an old passion for weightlifting. Pat took that passion into the competitive arena, which culminated in a 2nd place finish for his age group at the 2024 USA Powerlifting Masters World Cup in Memphis, TN.<\/p>\n
He is survived in the memory of likely anyone who spent time with him, along with his wife Elizabeth of 56 years, his son Lewis, his daughter-in-law Amy Keith McAfee, several treasured nephews, and the countless children of the heart \u2013 those young people he felt so privileged to teach and mentor throughout the years. They are his torch bearers, and they will light the way forward for us all.<\/p>\n