Patricia Marie Grabowski

Anyone who knew Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski would tell you without any hesitation she was in class by herself when it came to meeting her inherent obligations as a mother-she was organized and had the ability to perform in a variety of roles-wife, mother, chef, housekeeper, mediator, event planner, teacher, chauffeur, laundry manager, finance manager, healthcare provider, activities director, and world changer.

When God chose Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski to carry out his work in being everywhere, her resilient mindset told her "If God wants me to do one more thing, I can handle it."

After seven decades of assisting God in these efforts, he decided it was time for her to come home to his heavenly kingdom. On March 7th of 2025 Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski was welcomed with open arms by her parents, husband, and two sons for a job well done. Her many sleepless nights of worry over her children were now over-she can finally rest in peace knowing God is holding her in his arms.

Patricia Marie (Zebro) Grabowski was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota to Bernard and Catherine Zebro. She was their only daughter and had two other siblings. Her older brother Bernie Zebro preceded her in death while her younger brother Donald Zebro still resides in Minnesota.

She was raised in a working-class neighborhood most commonly known as 'Nordeast' Minneapolis. It was here that her life-long interest in politics originated. She often reminisced about her experiences of going to the Jax Café, a local eating establishment where she often observed the late Vice-President Hubert Humphrey dining.

Patricia was a true 'Minnesota' girl whose roots never left her individuality as a woman, wife, and mother. When selecting her final resting site, she knew there was only one place-her native state of Minnesota.

Growing up in the state of Minnesota provided Patricia with a deep love for winter sports-speed skating was the fondest of her memories. Her recollection of winning a speed skating competition was always as sharp as the silver blades she was awarded for having done so. She also loved to go dancing with her brothers with her favorite dance routines being the jitterbug, waltz, polka, and schottische. She was noticeably proficient in performing all four.

Patricia and her family had a history of attending numerous weddings throughout their lives.This was the venue which became her 'dance studio’ in order to prepare her children for what she believed were part of the mandatory social skills needed later on in life.

There was one undeniable link to Patricia's merits as a mother, whether it was in the state of Minnesota, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, or North Carolina and Alabama. It was her residential expanse of the kitchen. Her day always began with a customary cup of coffee accompanied by whatever pastry she had a taste for. This morning ritual allowed her to plant the seeds of exceptional planning and organization which was simply her mindset.

She had an immense love of cooking and baking. The level of her talents in these areas could have easily exceeded any of today's family ‘cooking’ personalities. Feeding a family of six kids on a blue-collar income for so many years was no small feat. She could make amazing dinners with the most limited ingredients.

Her kitchen activities were connected to the extraordinary ability she possessed in negotiations with her children when making meals for them. She had an amazing ability to simplify each of her children's most complex eating preferences. When her children were asked, "What do you feel like eating?" and her inquiries were met with "I don't know... ?" Patricia's resolution was straightforward, "We don't have any of 'I don't know' in this house, tell me what you want and I will fix it." She had inherently provided her children with one of life's most critical lessons-make a decision and then go forward with it. Patricia could be just as firm with her children as she was with the gentleness needed that only a mother could provide. She always fixed each of her children’s special birthday dinners and cakes.

She was a planner and organizer to the point of being fastidious. The most telling example of these coordination abilities occurred the night before each school day. She would gently remind each of her children

"Do you have all your clothes laid out and ready to go for tomorrow, we're not going to have the time to be running around all morning looking for things?" "Did you do all your homework too?" "Make sure you have it with you when you walk out that door."

This nightly routine was always preceded by Patricia's ability to turn a peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a gourmet school lunch. Inside these numerous brown bag lunches were her signature home baked chocolate chip cookies and an apple. She was a nutritionist extraordinaire.

When her children arrived home from school it was not unusual for them to be greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies, pies, or cakes. The tools of her trade were an assortment of cookbooks, the best baking accessories, and an oversized KitchenAide Mixer. She was never beyond trying something new in recipes as her husband could readily attest to.

Patricia was also a master at juggling an overlap of schedules with six children's sporting events, graduations, and award ceremonies along with her occasional attendance at some country western star's concert.

She was among the best at multi-tasking. She could hold a child in one arm, carry out her role as a chef, answer the phone and still keep it all together with a house full of kids. Within a span of fifteen seconds, she could find a pair of her children's underwear in a basket of unfolded clothes. She could change a diaper with such proficiency that she had once won a contest at a baby shower which required attendees to change a diaper while blindfolded and timed.

She was adamant as a mother in teaching her children to become self-sufficient-being able to cook, clean, and do laundry. Albeit the latter was the one cannon she violated most often. When her sons came home from college with the usual amount of dirty laundry, she refused to let them wash their clothes. When they protested, her husband gave them a slight nudge, "Let her do it, she loves doing laundry, she's just being a mom."

The levels of patience she displayed with her six children never waned when they peppered her with numerous questions all at once-many were repetitive in nature. This virtue was carried into other avenues of raising her children as well-she had her own way of deciphering the most complex configurations of each child's physical and emotional needs with all six at once.

Patricia could balance a needed hug and smile with that of an occasional raised eyebrow in teaching her children self-discipline and respect for others. Having a large family never became an obstacle or interference in her ability to tidy up the house in five minutes with someone coming over in ten minutes.

She understood the mindset needed to raise six children as well as any child psychologist. Teaching a young child to understand the basics of fairness through proportionality can be quite challenging. In a matter of a few seconds, Patricia could slice a hotdog up or divide a desert in such a way that each felt they were being treated fairly. This attribute was further demonstrated when she unflinchingly gave up her dessert in order for someone else to enjoy that culinary consumption. She never complained; it was who she was.

Patricia was completely dedicated to making her children feel valued when they came home from school with their latest artwork-she immediately placed them on the refrigerator. She also taught her children the importance of a made bed and the use of a clothes hamper-not always with success. Patricia was always there to watch her children get on the school bus, no matter what the weather conditions were. She seemed to have an endless supply of scarves, Kleenex, and Vicks VapoRub on hand for the harsh Minnesota winters.

One of the hardest times for a parent is when their child goes off to college. You might think with six kids she had to relieve this emotional separation over and over. She never looked at it that way, her philosophy was,

"It really wasn't that hard after each of you left, I always had more of you to follow, so it was okay-except for Dave, he was the last one."

She truly missed her calling as a Wall Street investor. She was able to manage a household budget based on her husband's blue-collar salary.

She provided her children with new clothes at the beginning of each school year, made the mortgage payments, saved up for memorable family vacations, and later helped to put her kids through college.

She could listen to her kids read the same story over and over without any loss of enthusiasm or interest. It became a habit for her to pick up at least one "Golden" children's book while at the grocery store. She had a special fondness for Disney themed books-Snow White was her favorite in both book and movie form.

When it came to her own needs she rarely had the time to sit down and relax, but when she did it was through the solitude of her two favorite authors, LaVyrle Spencer and Debbie Macomber. This love of reading was just one example of her rock-solid commitment to her children's education. She was also a room mother and PTA volunteer. Patricia attended as many of her children's school events as she could but never missed a parent-teacher conference.

Patricia was unable to run into a Target store or any other retail establishment without getting just what she needed. She almost always came out with more, a fact attested to by her husband with "What are you going to do with that?" With her maternal mindset she would respond,

"The kids bought it for me." He knew better than to go against that grain of motherhood.

When she did find the time to buy something for herself she had two principles-"If you like it, buy it otherwise it will be gone tomorrow." The other, "Always buy good clothes, they will last much longer and good clothes never go out of style."

Patricia also loved to travel-the memories forever etched in her mind came from Hawaii; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; New England; and California's wine country. She never forgot the beauty of Hawaii in contrast to the somberness of a privately arranged tour of Pearl Harbor.

If there was a shopping Nirvana for her it was in the Amish country; the simple but unforgettable food and retail shopping outlets allowed her to embrace the Amish quilt as her symbol of simplicity. New England in the fall was most likely her favorite place to visit the outlet centers in Maine, eating lobster in Mystic, Connecticut, driving through the winding roads of rural Vermont, and seeing the ocean views off the east coast with their majestic lighthouses as a backdrop.

California became the link to her love of being in the kitchen and the Hallmark channel. She relished the experience of wine tasting and the wine country décor which laced her kitchen after visiting. It was here that Patricia visited the site of her favorite Hallmark holiday movie, the Christmas Card which was filmed in Nevada City near the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

If there was one surprising aspect about Patricia's personality it was her having been an introvert when growing up. She attributed her personality change as an extrovert to her first job as a cashier at a local grocery store where her favorite uncle worked. Her time away at the numerous lake houses she and her husband owned in northern Minnesota further revealed that outgoing personality.

Patricia loved watching the Minnesota Vikings but in her later years had gained an affinity for Patrick Mahones of the Kansas City Chiefs. She also liked watching the Minnesota Twins baseball team. When her kids were younger she never failed to have a radio broadcast of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football game on in the background.

A final confirmation of Patrica's reverence for her role as a mother and becoming elderly was passed down to her oldest son when he was about ten years old. She had taken him to see an ophthalmologist in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. As they were about to cross the street, she abruptly grabbed his arm which kept him from moving forward. She said, "See that elderly woman over there, she's trying to cross the street and she's having trouble, go help her-place your arm under hers and help her get across the street." "I will wait for you here." "Never forget that you will be old someday too."

All Patricia ever wanted in life was for others to show that same reverence toward her as she grew older which had previously been instilled upon her son nearly sixty years before. The impact of that one simple act of kindness which she had prompted so long ago has now become much clearer since her passing.

Her now silent gratitude for the many professionals who took care of her healthcare and medical needs easily extends to the many doctors, nurses, physical therapists, emergency medical services personnel and the like.

The depth of her most personal bond as a mother in relation to her needs day in and day out goes without saying to her physical therapist Nicole Marshall, home care Gina Denson, and son Ronnie and daughter Lori.

For everyone who knew her, each has their own recollections of how they kept that inherent wish for her when revealing their respect and gratitude to her as a mother, relative, or friend.

The most befitting assessment of who Patricia was as a person comes from Patricia herself. On the eve of one of her major medical procedures, her oldest son received a letter from her. She had written the following to him, "In case I don't make it, I wanted you to know I've enjoyed being a mother."

Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski, you carried out God's work on this great earth exactly as he intended. God now wants you to continue his work in heaven as well. Rest in peace.

Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski leaves behind her sons, Michael Alan, Jeffrey, Ronald, and daughter Loreen (Lori). Her husband Monroe, and sons Jerome and David preceded her in death. She also leaves behind 12 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren, relatives, friends and others who loved her so much.

There will be no formal services in Bremen, Alabama as Patricia (Zebro) Grabowski had requested she be cremated and interned alongside her husband in Minnesota. She will be laid to rest in Gethsemane Cemetery in New Hope, Minnesota prior to a celebration of both their lives July 11, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Majestic Oaks Golf Club in Ham Lake Minnesota. In lieu of flowers it was her wish to have donations made to the following website: flippenfoundation.com