Patricia Eager

1920 - 2013

Patricia Dougall Eager quietly passed away on Mar 1, 2013. The youngest of three sisters, Pat was born in Salt Lake City on November 30, 1920 to George M. P. and Alice Paul Dougall. She attended East High school and graduated from Westminster College. She subsequently obtained a Master’s degree in botany from the University of Utah. For her master’s thesis, she did a comprehensive survey of the trees in Salt Lake Valley, which is still being used as a benchmark.

In 1945 she married Charles Eager, who had been serving in Army in the South Pacific. They had two children—James and Margaret. Jim was born with a physical handicap and Pat was devoted to ensuring that he was properly cared for. Once he was able to function independently, she began her career as a teacher. She had a keen intelligence and was a life-long learner. Even in retirement she continued to provide science instruction to young children.

She was a devoted member of Wasatch Presbyterian Church. She was also very active in the community and belonged to several service organizations. These included PEO, Zonta, and the League of Women Voters. She was a great advocate of education and served for many years as a member of the Westminster College Women’s Board. Much of her spare time was devoted to gardening—a fitting avocation for a botanist.

Pat was preceded in death by her parents, her two sisters, Florence Dougall Brown and Margaret Dougall, her husband, and, tragically, her two children. She is survived by two nieces—Nancy Parker of Salt Lake City and Sandy Williams of Aurora, CO—and a nephew, David Brown of Seattle, WA.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 6 at Wasatch Presbyterian Church, 1626 So. 1700 East, at 11:00 AM.