Patricia S. Anderson

Patricia Pat Anderson passed away peacefully on February 26, 2002 in Seattle. Pat was born April 12, 1926 in Seattle, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Wykes. Patricia was the youngest of 4 children; Evelyn, Edna, Joseph Bud and Patricia Wykes grew up in Ballard across from Webster Elementary. They had a loving home although lost their mother at a young age.

Pat met her future husband in grade school and later married in 1947 when he returned from serving in the war in the US Navy. Warren Andy and Pat had two children Gordy and Lorrie and lived most of their lives on 21st and 83rd in Ballard. When Pat decided it was time for a smaller home they moved their belongings a block away to 80th and 22nd.

Gordy and Lorrie remember many fun times with their Mom and Dad. Family vacations were simple but filled with love and good times. Our favorite memories were on Whidbey Island with our aunt and uncle Edna and Steve and cousins Jim and Mike. Edna and Steve had a wonderful cabin and Pat and Edna made sure that the kids had a great time, swimming, and of course the boys spent a lot of time terrorizing the ladies in the woods surrounding the cabin. Pat and Andy enjoyed many fishing trips in Eastern Washington at various lakes and never missed an opening day.

Mom gave up many things for us, including weekly hair appointments, clothes and other possessions so we could have a new bike or clothes. Mom sewed most of Lorries clothes when she was young, like a lot of Mothers did back then. And like a lot of daughters, Lorrie thought that maybe she wasn?t going to make a fashion statement when she went to school. Although she was proved wrong when she found out that her friends thought her clothes were beautiful. Gordy especially appreciated that Mom came to all his track meets, football games and baseball games and he would look up and see her excited and supportive wave.

Gordy and Lorrie often felt that their boyfriends and girlfriends through the years liked their parents more then they liked them. Many of their friends formed life long friendships with Andy and Patty.

Patty has a special relationship with her son-in-law Jan, which included long talks about the Seattle Mariners. Mom watched every game and enjoyed the time it filled almost every day in the spring and summer.

Mom loved to garden, especially roses and later when she couldn?t participate she would stand in the window and watch her children in her garden directing what was going on. Lorrie was always concerned if the roses didn?t do well that year that she would be blamed for the way she pruned them. Gordy and Lorrie pruned her roses the day before she died and from her bed she directed us to be sure and plant the window box with primroses.

Mom could be best described as feisty ? which was a description that she really didn?t like. That just meant to us that she was proud had a zest for life and a lot of will to fight her illness. She taught us that the most important thing in life is not possession but the love of your family and your health. She was mostly Norwegian but liked to bring up that little bit of Irish blood once in a while and you knew that you were in trouble. She played many practical jokes on us ? like cardboard in our sandwiches, or spaghetti noodles at the bottom of the bed. Even in her worst times she never complained. She carried on with great dignity. Occasionally she had wishes, like being able to visit us or go to lunch ? just simple things that she could no longer do.

Mom was not able to attend many family gatherings in the last few years and it was very hard for her not to be there. We are happy that she no longer has to struggle and is at peace in heaven.