Mrs. Patricia H. Waschka

Patricia Janet Sinclair Hanney Waschka was born in Evanston, Illinois on the evening of March 14, 1934 to John Victor and Anna Maurice Powers Hanney.

During her early years, she traveled extensively with her family from Canada to South America which gave her a window into other cultures. These travels gave her a love of others she would carry on throughout her life. Once on her own, she went on to live in Florence, Italy, and became fluent in Italian during that time. She attended Trinity University in Washington D.C. where she majored in Sociology and earned her degree in 1955. She earned a Master's degree in Education and went on to teach Grammar to 6th graders in Chicago. It was during her time at Trinity that she met Ronald William Waschka, the love of her life and husband. They established a home in Germantown, Tennessee after being married in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There they raised their four children.

At their first parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Germantown, Patricia was a member of the Altar Society. As the children grew, she and Ronnie moved parishes to become founding members of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Memphis where she was a cantor and catechist. She was a dedicated volunteer at the Pink Palace Museum in Memphis where she served as a docent on the history of the Mid-South. While working with the museum, she served as the chairwoman of the Mid-South Craft Fair which drew dozens of artisans and vendors and displayed demonstrations of historic life in the Mid-South. During this time, she continued graduate studies in Art History with a specialization in Pre-Colombian Art and Culture.

In 1981, Pat & Ronnie and their children moved to Colleyville, Texas. Pat continued serving as a consummate volunteer at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History as well as dedicating time, as she had in Memphis, to all of the children's schools. After the death of her beloved husband in 1987, she was an active member of the Independent Petroleum Producers of America, attending conferences and continuing to run the family business.

As the children grew, Ronald and Patricia opened their door to dozens of exchange students through the Rotary Club and Open Doors Student Exchange program. Many of these students have remained in contact with Pat throughout her life including Paola Lena Verret, Jasenka Borzan Luznik, Sabine Lang, Zola Lazaric, Jasenka Lazaric, Amela Gavazzi, Asuka Ohsuki. This brought the world to her family and exposed her children to differing viewpoints and experiences while creating new relationships which would last a lifetime.

She had a great love and dedication to sharing Christ's love and message through her volunteerism, but also through active support of St. Jude Children's Hospital, the Carmelite Nuns (Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas), the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, the Southwest Indian Foundation, scholarships seminarians in formation for the priesthood in India, and Heifer International among many other charities and causes throughout the years.

Patricia is survived by her children Michael (Mary), John, Anne-Marie (Jeff), and Helen Marissa (Brian). She was also blessed with 13 grandchildren. Lisa (Lance), Stephen, Ellen, Katherine, Mark, Kaitlin (Erick), Jamie, Wendy, Vicki, Tim, Lexi, Mary-Kate, and Nick. She had one, very precious great-grandchild at the time of her death, Liam, son of Lisa and Lance Walton.

Her most often heard saying was to "love your children with open arms." It is a wonder and a blessing how many of us received an embrace in those very arms and will carry her love as a legacy through our lives.

Pat entered eternal life on Friday, January 7, 2022. Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord and may perpetual life shine upon her. May her soul and all the souls of the faithfully departed through the mercy of God Rest in Peace. Amen. +

A Mass of Chrisitan Burial will take place on January 28, 2021, at 10:30 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, located at 2016 Willis Ln, Keller, Texas 76248.

Burial will follow at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park, located at 5725 Colleyville Blvd, Colleyville, Texas 76034.

In lieu of flowers, please consider giving a gift by visiting the links below, to the Carmelite Nuns at the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity in Arlington, Texas, the Southwest Indian Foundation, or the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bluebonnethills.com for the Waschka family.

If you wish to send flowers in honor of Pat please contact Lilium Floral Design at 817-589-1566 or http://www.liliumflorals.com.