Patrick Gerald Wieneke

Pat was born in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and grew up there. He graduated from Lake Superior State University with a Bachelor of Science Business degree. While going to college he worked summers on the lake freighters that carry iron ore from the mines to the industrial areas farther east. For a change of scenery, he moved to Idaho in 1976 where he met his wife, Aleta, while researching records at the county courthouse for his job as a title examiner. Aleta’s co-workers encouraged her to ask him out, but being on the quiet and shy side, she was hesitant to do so. A couple of weeks later, while Kenny Rogers sang “You Picked a Fine Time to Leave me Lucille” on the office radio, Pat asked her out. It would become their song and every time it played on the radio they remembered the day they met. They were together from that point until he passed away. They would have celebrated their 46th anniversary later this month.

He continued his education at Idaho State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Accounting degree. In 1980 they moved to Salem, Oregon where Pat worked as a tax auditor for the State of Oregon Employment Department until his retirement.

Pat was a quiet, introspective person who was an avid reader. He rarely met a book or magazine he didn’t like, particularly biographies, those about history and religion, and he especially enjoyed The New Yorker magazine, his favorite. He enjoyed watching tech and “how to fix it” videos on line. He especially enjoyed researching solar power and electric vehicles. Over the last year he worked persistently teaching himself to speak Italian. In May of 2023, he had a chance to test his skills during a visit to Italy to see Aleta’s relatives. He managed to understand some basic Italian and was interested in continuing to learn the language.

Aleta and Pat made numerous visits to Europe and he loved traveling. He loved the beauty of Europe and found the history and architecture fascinating. As a result, he thoroughly researched their travel destinations before each trip. He especially loved Italy, Austria and France, but enjoyed every country they visited.

He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hiking, especially in Grand Teton National Park and the Oregon Cascades. He loved the mountains, woods, and the Oregon coast. He found nature calming and restful.

Pat is survived by his wife, Aleta, his sister Janet, his brother Mike, and was close to his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Helene and Dave. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.

Per his request, no services will be held.