Patricia Catherine Stearns

Pat was born on June 13,1938 in Taft, California. She was the daughter of Florence and Andrew (Jack) Murray, and the older sister of Mary and Mike.

In 1965, she married Allan Stearns who was a pilot and a major in the United States Air Force. Allan also had a 10-year-old son named Mark whom Pat adopted. Just before their 2nd anniversary, on July 20, 1967, Allan was shot down and killed in Vietnam. Mark went to live with his grandparents and, with some help from her parents, Pat raised their only son, John, by herself working as a paralegal. Later in life, she worked at All Things Catholic in the Chapel Hills mall.

Pat always loved her Faith and shared it with everyone she met. In her 80s she enrolled in the Denver Biblical School and completed their 4-year program. At the graduation Mass, Archbishop Aquilla mentioned her as the oldest person to ever graduate from the school remarking, “You are never too old to learn more about your Catholic faith, Holy Scripture and Jesus Christ”.

Pat is survived by her son, Fr. John Stearns, her stepson, Mark Stearns, her sister Mary Eitel (George); her sister-in-law and beloved wife of her brother Michael, Carolyn Murray; nieces Kathleen Caposele, Diane Eitel-Wortman, Deborah Gates and nephew Michael Murray, Jr., as well as several great nieces and nephews. She was predeceased in death by her parents, Andrew and Florence Murray, her husband, Allan Stearns, her younger brother Michael Murray, Sr. and beloved niece/Goddaughter, Deanna Moriarty (Murray).

The Funeral Vigil will be held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Colorado Springs on December 9 at 5 PM. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Bishop James Golka on December 10 at 10 AM at St. Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Colorado Springs. Patricia will be buried at 1 PM at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Kiowa, CO on December 11.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the “Patricia C. Stearns Memorial Fund”. This fund is established in her memory as an emergency fund for priests in the Diocese of Colorado Springs. Donations may be sent to:

Diocese of Colorado Springs

ATTN: Jamie Crane

228 N. Cascade Ave.

Colorado Springs, CO 80903