An haifi Dame Patience Faka Jonathan ( née Oba ) a ranar 25 ga watan Oktoba shekarar 1957. Itace matar tsohon shugaban kasar Najeriya kuma tsohon gwamnan Bayelsa, wato Goodluck Jonathan. Ta yi aiki a matsayin Babban Sakatare a mahaifar ta wato jihar Bayelsa. An haife ta a Fatakwal, ta samu takardar shedar kammala firamare a shekarar 1976, sannan tayi nasarar Jarrabawar Makarantun Afirka ta Yamma (WASCE) a shekarar 1980. A shekarar 1989, ta samu takardar shaidar karatun ilmi ta kasa (NCE) a fannin lissafi da kuma ilmin halitta daga kwalejin fasaha da kimiyya ta jihar Rivers, Fatakwal Daga nan ta wuce zuwa Jami'ar Portharcourt kuma ta yi karatun digiri na biyu a fannin nazarin halittu da ilimin sanin dan adam (Biology & Psychology). An ba ta digirin girmamawa na Doctorate daga Jami'ar Port Harcourt. Dame Patience Jonathan ta fara aiki a matsayin malama a Kwalejin Stella Maris, Port Harcourt da kuma a Cibiyar Wasanni ta Isaka. Daga nan ta koma bangaren banki a shekarar 1997. Ta yi aiki a matsayin manajan tallace-tallace na bankin Imiete Community Bank.