Our Story
Growing up, my Mom was single for many years right after I was born. My biological father left when I was one month old. They were divorced by the time I was three months old, and my older sister was three. I know she never imagined raising us alone. Being a single parent and working three jobs to support us must have been incredibly stressful. Mom had some help. Our grandparents lived close, and we had a nanny that had also been her nanny. Mom often told us that she was never going to remarry. Her heart had been broken and she had no desire to try again.
By chance, Mom met Lee Patrick one day at a single parent gathering. I still have vague memories of that day, though I was pretty young. I remember my Mom surrounded by all the kids. Mom is a teacher and kids are just drawn to her naturally. She was comfortable being surrounded by the children. So, while all the other adults mingled, she was with the kids. Even so, she managed to meet him. After that, they kept running into each other around town at different places. He was twelve years older than she was, and she thought he would be perfect for her friend, who was the same age as him. Although she was ready to “fix them up,” God had other plans in mind.
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Lee Patrick was a twice divorced, single father. He was raising two daughters of his own. The girl’s mother did not live in the same state and he was raising them alone. Lee worked hard and then took care of his girls. He attended the church that sponsored the single parent gathering. At the time he met my Mom, he had a girlfriend who lived in another state, but I think he knew she was the one for him early on.
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Mom finally agreed to a date (she could never miss her weekly episode of Dallas! Haha!). They were married on February 20, 1988 and our new family was born. I remember being extremely excited the day of the wedding. I was so happy to have a Dad and two new sisters. Life is never perfect and blending a family is a whole other challenge. I have a great respect for both single parents and individuals who choose to marry and blend their families. For our family, the most important change was God. Dad (Lee) introduced us to Jesus. He shared how God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins. That we were all saved because of him and we only needed to accept him into our hearts to be saved. Now I had both a real Dad and a Heavenly Father! Although there were struggles, Dad and Mom loved all of us and did their best to show us their love every day.
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Lee has always been Dad to me. For me to call him Lee is odd. Although we did not share the same blood, he was my Dad. We lost him unexpectedly in July of 2018. He was the strongest man I knew, and it was a shock to all of us. I expected him to live until much later. Living without him is the greatest heartbreak, especially for Mom. Starting Lee’s Lasting Legacy is a way to honor his memory. We want to bless single families and pass on the love of Jesus that Lee shared with all of us. For us, this is a way to keep his memory alive, while helping other families that may be struggling. Personally, I know that being a single parent is hard. I have great respect for single parents. I remember how hard my Mom worked and I think single parents deserved to be blessed! I also hope to find a way to help others that would make Dad proud. He was the best Dad! I hope we can honor both him and God with this endeavor!
In His love, Kelly Koch
Lee Patrick was not my biological father, but he was my Dad. My Mom became a single parent when I was only three years old and my sister was a baby. My biological father left all of us and, for me, it hurt a lot. It broke my heart, and it broke my Mom’s heart too. We loved him and he left us like we never mattered. My Mom worked so hard to provide for my sister and me. She held multiple jobs at the same time so my sister and I wouldn’t suffer more than we already had. She had to fight to receive any child support. It hurt for me to see her struggle and hurt. I still remember her crying sometimes even though I was little.
One day, at a church gathering for single parents, she met the man who would soon be my Dad. He was handsome and funny and so nice. He had two girls too and we had fun playing together while our parents got to know each other.
Lee Patrick was a gift from God to my Mom and my sister and me. He was the best husband and father. He went home to be with Jesus in July of 2018, just six days after my birthday. I miss him every day; I miss his laugh and the way his eyes disappeared when he smiled big. He was so much like what I imagine Jesus is like. He was always thinking of others. Having this nonprofit in his name is such a blessing and an amazing way to remember him.
I was a single parent myself after some not so great choices in my teenage years. I have three beautiful kids from my first marriage, and I wouldn’t change anything because of them. But I understand how hard being a single parent can be. I pray we can help many single parent families in honor of my Dad. He and my Mom both did an amazing job for a time raising their kids on their own. Being a single parent is tough; I pray we can help make that journey easier for you.
Blessings,
Leslie Dominguez
In 1982, I became a single parent. I had two precious girls, ages three (Leslie) and four months (Kelly). Losing my husband to another woman was something that I was not prepared for. At the same time, the daycare that I was managing burned to the ground. Since I needed to get a new job, I sold our house and moved closer to my parents. My girls became my highest priority, and it was always an issue to collect child support. Fortunately, I had lots of work experience, so I was able to provide for us by working three jobs. I was determined to be a successful single parent family. However, it wasn’t always easy.
In October 1986, a friend invited me to a single parent outing that her church was hosting. It was there that I met Lee Patrick. We dated for over a year and spent a great deal of time together. Lee had been to Bible college and was able to answer the many questions that I had about God and the Bible. He was a godly man who loved the Lord, and his greatest desire was to see his children walking in faith and serving others.
We raised our four girls, and later God blessed us with two more children. Each of them accepted the Lord early in life, and Lee and I loved watching them grow in faith. We were able to celebrate weddings and add grandkids to our growing family. We celebrated 30 years of marriage in February of 2018.
Lee went home to be with the Lord unexpectedly in the summer of that same year. It was devastating and heartbreaking, even though we all know that he is in a better place. I will forever be grateful for Lee’s example in our lives. He was my knight in shining armor (even though our pastor told me there was no such thing). ;) Our children were very blessed to have him as their dad.
In an effort to honor Lee‘s memory, we have decided to start a nonprofit to help single parent families. Parenting is our greatest God-given responsibility, and Lee always put God and family first. We hope to show the love of Christ as we minister to anyone who is raising children alone.
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God bless y’all!
Mary Patrick
