Patricia ""Pat Oppelt

Patricia Louise Oppelt, “Pat”, 86, of Greeley, passed away in Grace Pointe ALF in Greeley, CO on Sunday November 5, 2017. Pat was born to Waldo Lee and Mae Belle Bast in Prescott, AZ September 18, 1931.

Pat grew up in Prescott, graduating from Prescott High School in 1948. She elected to go to Fort Collins, CO in 1949 to attend Colorado A&M (now known as CSU) pursuing a degree in Home Economics. While at CSU she joined the Tri Delta sorority, becoming a life-long participant in this sorority. In 1952 she met Norman Theodore “Ted” Oppelt. They married in 1954 and moved to Greeley, where Ted taught and Pat worked in the student center of then Colorado State College (now UNC). UNC would become a large part of Ted and Pat’s lives till their deaths. In 1958 Pat and Ted moved to Lansing, MI for Ted to finish his PhD.

In February of 1960, their first child, Eric Theodore Oppelt, was born in Lansing, MI. They then moved back to Greeley in 1961, where Ted returned to professional employment at UNC. In September of 1961, their second child, Karen Elizabeth Oppelt, was born in Greeley. Pat and Ted raised their family in Greeley, and both loved to camp, fish, and travel and took their family on trips to national and state parks across the United States, varying from John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park or Sanibel Island in Florida, to Hanauma Bay State Park in Hawaii, to Denali National Park in Alaska.

Ted retired as Professor Emeritus from UNC in 1987. Pat and Ted then worked the next 15 summers at Mesa Verde National Park where Ted worked as a ranger and Pat worked with the park naturalist. In the winters they traveled the world going to countries on every continent except Antarctica. Pat was a 60+ year resident of Greeley, volunteering for many organizations in the area.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Ted in 2011.

Pat is survived by her daughter Karen Hill, son Eric, daughter-in-law Elizabeth, and beloved granddaughters Isabel and Caroline.

A memorial service for Pat is being held at the Allnutt Macy Chapel in Greeley, CO on Monday November 27, 2017 at 2:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like friends to consider contributing to the Ted & Pat Oppelt Scholarship in Higher Education at the UNC Foundation.

God Bless You Pat Oppelt.