Patricia Estep

Patricia Estep, 86, accepted her well-earned rest on Thursday, June 25, 2026, surrounded by a family she loved fiercely, and ready to be reunited with one she loved most of all, her husband of 56 years, Guy.

Armed with a strong will and indomitable belief in what was right, Patty never backed down from a fight. She was a skilled cook, dressmaker and quilter, an award-winning real estate agent, an unabashed fashionista, and a daunting pinochle opponent who was not above skirting the rules if it meant victory.

Patty was born August 14, 1939, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Steven and Frances Sanders. She attended St. Adalbert’s Elementary School and graduated from Catholic Central in 1957. She attended Aquinas College before taking a job as a bookkeeper and meeting the love of her life, D. Guy Estep.

Guy and Patty built a home in Caledonia where they would raise three children. When Patty returned to part-time office work, she didn’t stop enriching the lives of her family. Her children remember hearing the sewing machine running late at night as she stitched drapes, dresses, and hand-crafted Halloween costumes.

She later found her calling as an agent with Westdale Realty, in a career where her success repeatedly earned her “Realtor of the Month” recognitions — and a coveted parking space from which she was not afraid to evict undeserving drivers. She cut many hard bargains on behalf of family and friends buying their first homes. Guy nicknamed her “BTR,” for “Big-Time Realtor.”

Guy and Patty enjoyed travel and in retirement spent many winters in Florida. Her greatest passion was for family. She loved camping with her eight grandchildren, teaching them crafts, spoiling them with treats, and creating custom quilts for them. Patty was thrilled in recent years to see two great-granddaughters added to the family.

Patty is survived by children, Darin (Cami) Estep of Grand Rapids, Stephanie (David) Kempisty of Caledonia and Colleen Estep of Berkley; grandchildren, Luke Kempisty (and fianceé Lara Bastos), Isabel (Tyler) Hinton, Clair (Brian) Ferro, Lilli Kempisty (and fiancé Mac Hall), Veronica Marchese, Charlotte (Collin) Brennan, Donovan Estep and Ella Estep; great-granddaughters, Piper Ferro and Ellery Hinton; sisters-in-law, Ruth “Keaner” Ward and Judy Sanders, both of Grand Rapids; and nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings, Barbara King, Maxine Hammond, and Mike Sanders, along with many other family members and in-laws whom she missed dearly.

She was an organ donor through the Michigan Gift of Life program. (And she said you should be, too.)

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday July, 1 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 9669 Kraft Ave. SE, Caledonia. Those who wish to attend visitation may do so Tuesday June, 30th from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Matthysse Kuiper DeGraaf, 616 E. Main St., Caledonia or on Wednesday at Holy Family Catholic Church from 10:00-11:00 prior to the service. A luncheon will be provided by the church directly following. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Hospice of Michigan.