Patricia Weninger

Patricia Weninger

Patricia (Pat) Weninger died December 15, 2024, at Rockwood Retirement Community, just two days shy of her 99th birthday. Pat was born December 17, 1925, in Vancouver, Washington, to George and Margaret Kidwell, joining her sister Georgiana (Nancy).

Their family later moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Pat was raised during the depression and World War II. She had many stories of that era and loved to talk about them. Pat married Elmer Ide in 1946 and soon after had her only child, Diane. That marriage eventually ended.

Pat later worked at the Moscow Hotel, where she met the manager, George Weninger, and they fell in love. They were married in September 1949 and raised Diane together in Moscow. Patricia and George eventually moved to Spokane, where George became manager of the Ridpath Hotel, and Pat began a long and successful career in banking.

Pat started to work for Fidelity Mutual in 1962. She became the branch loan officer in 1970. Patricia moved on to become Spokane’s highest-ranking female banker, eventually becoming one of the first Vice Presidents in the state of Washington.

In the mid 1970s Pat was elected as president of the National Association of Bank Women (NABW). She traveled around the U.S. giving speeches, attending events, and even was invited for a meeting at the White House. Pat always said, “women must be better at what they do then men”. Pat credited her husband George for his support and believed she could not have done it without him. Patricia continued to work in Spokane banks such First Interstate, Wells Fargo, and Washington Trust before retiring. Pat’s advice was, “never look backwards, only forwards”. She was a pioneer for women in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s by helping women climb the ladders of success that were greased to prevent them from succeeding.

Pat’s daughter Diane was a brilliant attorney. Her life was tragically cut short at the age of 39 from a brain tumor. Pat and George moved into the Rockwood Retirement Community in 1991, where they were very active. George passed away in 2001, they were married over 50 years. Pat continued to live at Rockwood and became one of their longest residents. We wish to thank the second floor assisted living staff and Hospice of Spokane for their care of Pat.