He is survived by his daughter, Jessica Lantz (Lawrence Truman); his sisters, Joanna Carr (Rick Kriz) of Harlan, Jayne Long of Fort Wayne, Kim Christen of Decatur; and his nieces and nephews. Pat served in the U.S. Army with two tours of duty in Vietnam. He had a lifelong career as a carpenter and a passion for learning, which led him to pursue degrees in Business and Computer Science. Pat truly loved photography, orchids, birding, and gardening, which led him to become a Master Gardener through the Purdue Extension program. He used this acquired gardening knowledge extensively in his Florida home greenhouse, where he raised over 200 orchids. His love of orchids encouraged him to become an active member of orchid organizations in Florida and Fort Wayne. His bird watching enthusiasm would capture his attention, especially in the evening, as he relaxed in his lanai at his Florida home. Not only did Pat watch the birds at his house, but he was an avid, knowledgeable birder who traveled to different areas to observe and photograph different species of birds.
Celebration of Life Service will be 4 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at D.O. McComb and Sons Pine Valley Park Funeral Home (1320 East Dupont Road, Fort Wayne), with visitation from 2-4.
Memorial donations may be made to Eagle Audubon Society (P.O. Box 5813, Sun City Center, FL 33573), or to Foellinger Freimann Botanical Conservatory (1100 South Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802).
