Mary Patricia Gergen

Mary Patricia Gergen (Patricia to her coworkers and Patsy to her family) died on March 11, 2020, at the age of 82. The daughter of Mary and Patrick McCollum, Patsy grew up in St. Ignatius Montana. At 13, she entered the Sacred Heart Academy and went on to be a Catholic Nun with the Sisters of Charity (Providence) from 1955 to 1965, serving as Sister Sarah Marie. She earned her nursing degree at Seattle University and worked as a registered nurse long after she left the convent, devoting her life to helping people to be healthy and happy.

As a union organizer in the 1980s, Patsy helped ensure that nurses were compensated fairly for their important work. Throughout her life, Patsy always tried to do the right thing, even when that meant breaking rules to help people. She was honest and kind and strong, three qualities often used to describe her own mother. Patsy believed that all people are worthy of love and that we need to take care of people who cannot provide for themselves; she passed those qualities on to her children.

Patsy lived through several significant health challenges, but ultimately uterine cancer took her life as it spread to her heart and lungs. She enjoyed the final months of her life cooking, quilting and spending time with her family, three of her lifelong passions. Her almond roca and cinnamon rolls were legendary!

Patsy is survived by her four children, Luella Wong, Teresa Gergen, Patrick Gergen, and Tom Gergen. She is also survived by four of her six siblings: Ernie McCollum, Carol Rektor, Bob McCollum, and Joe McCollum. Two brothers, Rodney McCollum and Dick McCollum, preceded her in death. Her former husband, Dennis Gergen, and his wife, Leu Gergen, were also in Patsy’s life until the end. Patsy had numerous well-loved and loving grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Hospice House of Spokane where she spent the last days of her life. www.hospiceofspokane.org or 121 S. Arthur, Spokane, WA 99202.