Patricia Flynn Kloiber

“Love multiplies.” That was Patricia’s simple response when asked how she could divide her love among her ever-expanding family. The sentiment reflected both her life’s greatest lesson and its most fulfilling accomplishment. Having experienced profound loss as a child, she chose a different legacy: creating a community of love with her family, bound by the resolution that love is eternal — as engraved on her wedding band.

Patricia Joan Flynn was born in chilly Milwaukee, on February 7, 1931, to Sylvia Ida Springob Flynn and Joseph Patrick Flynn. On December 12, 1932, Kathleen Carol arrived, providing Patricia — then called “Patsy” — with a playmate.

Patricia’s sweet memories of excavating the sandbox, hosting pretend tea parties, and playing “laundry day” together with their dolls’ clothes ended abruptly when Kathleen died in 1935 of “lobar pneumonia.” Mother Sylvia had cared for Kathleen and died on Saturday of that week of the same illness. It was a devastating loss for both Patricia and her father.

As a traveling salesman for Philco Radio, Joe found a temporary home for young Patricia on her aunt and uncle’s farm. Patricia looked forward to weekend drives with her father, and he sometimes brought along a lady friend. One day, he asked Patricia if “we” should marry his current love interest, Mina McLaughlin, an elementary school teacher whom he met through mutual friends. Patricia gave her consent — “it felt good that I could invite her to our family” — and gained a stepmother in December, 1938.

Joe, Mina, and Patricia lived a comfortable life in the Milwaukee suburbs. Patricia enjoyed listening to radio programs on her little white radio, in her bedroom. Joe asked Patricia to listen to “Your Hit Parade” on Saturday nights and list the top hits so that he could stock the most popular records for his clients. Patricia was proud of her assignment and diligently compiled a weekly list for her father.

During World War II, Joe attempted to enlist with the Navy but was rejected for being too old. Instead, he was employed by the War Production Board for several years as a “materials expeditor.” After the war, he revealed that he had been working for the highly secretive Manhattan Project, which developed the atom bomb.

As the war continued, Patricia saved her grade-school allowance to purchase stamps toward $18.75 war bonds, worked in the neighborhood Victory Garden, learned how to shop with ration coupons, and played military hymns and patriotic tunes on the piano — tunes that she cherished all of her life. “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” and “The Army Air Corps March” were two favorites . . . little knowing that her husband-to-be (who was seven years older) was serving in the Army Air Corps (now the Air Force).

After attending four different Catholic elementary schools, Patricia enrolled in the all-girls (“with ugly uniforms”) Holy Angels Academy Catholic High School. Her eight-mile commute to school involved walking several blocks, taking multiple buses/street cars, then walking further — Wisconsin weather notwithstanding. On her first day of high school, a display above the blackboard greeted her with a message that she often repeated to her family: “Do your best. The Angels can do no better.”

Patricia discovered her passion for writing, leading her role as editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, “The Aerial.” She earned multiple academic recognitions including membership in the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists. In 1949, Patricia matriculated at Milwaukee’s Marquette University, to pursue a degree in Journalism. She completed the Radio and Television major sequence, and was in the first Milwaukee class for television writing and production. Patricia was proud to receive a gold microphone pin for achievement at Marquette, and also was appointed Associate Editor of Marquette’s yearbook.

Leaning into her journalism training, Patricia worked for the Taylor Electric Company, a prominent independent distributor for RCA products in the Milwaukee area. Patricia drafted sales material that went to radio hosts ("disk jockeys”) and record dealers. She met and wrote copy for a number of RCA’s artists including her favorite, Perry Como — who later attended the same south Florida Catholic church as Patricia and family. Next, she moved to the Miller Brewing Company’s internal relations department, producing their monthly in-house magazine — and not particularly enjoying the Quality Control Department’s beer tasting sessions.

During this time, Patricia Flynn met Glenn Kloiber, a 1949 Marquette Mechanical Engineering graduate and Army Air Corps veteran. Many years later, while recounting special moments in her life, Patricia wrote:

“My golden memories began mid-August, 1955, at a Catholic Alumni Club picnic, when a tall, handsome, kind man approached saying, ‘Hi, Pat.’ I thought that he was one of the many singles my friend Marlyn and I met earlier.

“No. He was reading the label on my tennis racquet cover! I was immediately attracted to him.

“I enjoyed being with him so much that I went directly to the phone book when I got home to see if I could spell his unusual last name: Kloiber. Affirmative.

“Now I continually inform people how to pronounce it correctly.”

A mechanical engineer specializing in designing pumps, Glenn met Patricia while visiting his Milwaukee family and friends. While they were dating, Glenn worked in suburban Chicago and around Mississippi bayous, so they communicated with “lots of letters.” The couple enjoyed just a handful of in-person dates: “one weekend every two months, for one and a half years.” In 1956, Glenn proposed after a crowded Christmas Eve Mass — during which Patricia was poked in the ribs by a box in Glenn’s pocket containing an engagement ring from Kloiber Jewelers.

The nuptials were celebrated on the morning of August 10, 1957, at Christ King parish in Wauwatosa. Glenn sported a white morning jacket while Patricia glowed in a white floor-length gown borrowed from a dear friend and carried Bells-of-Ireland in her bouquet. The post-wedding reception was a festive brunch at the Chateau on the Lake (Michigan), in Theinsville, Wisconsin. Ten months and one day after their wedding, Patricia and Glenn welcomed their first child, Kathleen Mary.

The next years were a whirlwind of an expanding family and an evolving career in the burgeoning aerospace industry. The family of three moved to Neosho, Missouri, in 1959 when Glenn took a job with Rocketdyne. The Mechanical Engineer — now an Aerospace Engineer —designed and refined rocket engine components. Daniel Joseph (1959) and Elizabeth Marie (1961) joined the family. Three-and-a-half years later, Rocketdyne needed engineers at the Los Angeles headquarters to develop the Saturn V engines for the Apollo program, so the family of five packed up the Buick and drove west.

In Canoga Park, Patricia and Glenn were blessed with three more children: Margaret Ann (1963), Laurie Patricia (1965), and Thomas Francis (1967). Patricia orchestrated the school/ after-school/summer activities, kept the family well-fed and cared for, planned family trips/crafts/enrichment, and even hosted a polling place on their enclosed back patio for multiple years (and served ground beef and Tater Tot “Election Day Special” casserole on the election nights). Sundays — after Mass at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church (and day-old donuts from the local bakery) — were often dedicated to car trips to Southern California museums, beaches, parks, missions, and other local adventures.

These were rambunctious, exhausting, rewarding years, with both parents pitching in as full partners in parenthood. Somehow, Patricia had time to celebrate every holiday from St. Valentine’s Day through Christmas with decor, food, apparel, and seasonal music. Bing Crosby was a staple on the stereo on St. Patrick’s Day, which may have been the holiday Patricia loved most. Her Irish heritage was a source of pride and belonging. Decades later, Patricia would accompany her younger son and wife-to-be, Mary Beth, on travels through Ireland. Tom noted, “Patricia was truly in her element in Ireland and simply beamed throughout the trip, so proud of her heritage and being able to share it.”

Patricia’s organization skills were legendary and kept the household running smoothly, even when Glenn traveled to Florida to view a rocket launch or took evening classes in financial planning. She compiled a trove of family favorite recipes and was a master coupon-clipper, taking full advantage of discounts at the local grocery stores. And at the end of the day, Patricia mustered the energy to read aloud to her children — sitting on the floor of the hallway between bedrooms to explore the “Little House” books, among others. Always followed by nighttime prayers.

When the Apollo space program wrapped up, Glenn secured a one-year contract with Hughes Aircraft Research Center in Malibu, and then accepted a position with Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in West Palm Beach, Florida. On the last day of December, 1970, after a heartfelt neighborhood send-off, Patricia, six lively children (ages three to twelve), 21 pieces of luggage, and Kathleen’s crated puppy flew nonstop on a National Airlines Boeing 747 from Los Angeles to Miami. They were greeted by a grateful Glenn and the Orange Bowl Parade. The Tequesta chapter was underway.

Once the children were settled into their school routines (grades 7, 6, 4, 2, kindergarten, and three-year old Tom at home), Patricia found ways to contribute to her new community, including initiating and managing a neighborhood Crime Watch program, serving as an election worker for 25 years (eventually, County Precinct Clerk for Tequesta), writing for the local newspaper, volunteering with the Christian Mothers and Women of St. Jude parish (and helping to write the parish 25th anniversary booklet), assisting with numerous Girl Scout events (camp name: “Clover”), and serving as a charter member of the Jupiter High School Parent Advisory Committee for twelve years. Patricia was committed to attending every event — sporting, academic, religious, scouting — that included a Kloiber child.

Out of all of her individual accomplishments, Patricia was most proud of bringing religious award programs to Girl Scouts of many denominations in northern Palm Beach County — starting with Catholic Girl Scout programs. She received multiple recognitions for her years of helping girls connect their faiths with the Girl Scout promise and laws. Patricia’s pride was palpable when several of her daughters (and a granddaughter) served as religious award consultants, designed award programs and emblems, led retreats, and sat on committees that organized the activities. Patricia’s legacy continues.

The tradition of family road trips also continued. Every other year, the family drove from Florida to the Minocqua, Wisconsin “Shack” — and visited other locales in the alternate summers. While Glenn “just drove the bus,” Patricia kept the energetic passengers fed and entertained. Sandwiches, songs, snacks, stories . . . the long days of driving were tolerable and often memorable. And in Minocqua, Patricia discovered her all-time favorite fast food restaurant: Culver’s. It was a happy day — some decades later — when Culver’s opened multiple franchises in Florida!

Time passed and the children started heading to college, but not before being “sewn out the door” for proms and other dress-up events. Patricia’s sewing room featured an Elna sewing machine and a wall of shelving stacked with fabric, yarn, and craft supplies — evidence of her interest in exploring a wide range of crafts. Patricia’s artistic curiosity was boundless, perhaps only topped by her passion for genealogy.

Exploring her genealogy was a source of fulfillment and connection to family. For decades, Patricia attended genealogy courses, learning to research family records and formally document the information, and adopting the latest developments in computer technology along the way. She interviewed relatives (including a number of her 33 cousins) and searched local and national record repositories, including many church records. From Ireland, Germany, and Austria, to the Mormon archives in Salt Lake City and the National Archives in Washington, DC, Patricia traced the branches of the Flynn, Springob, Kloiber, and Dahmer families, as well as more remote relatives. Patricia even determined that her father’s Irish ancestors were original Iowa pioneers, earning her a certificate of the designation.

As the children left the nest, Patricia and Glenn spent time attending Glenn’s Army reunions and traveling domestically and internationally. When deciding to downsize their home, Patricia wrote: “I took a state map, drew in the locations of our daughters’ and my mother’s homes. Picking a spot in the approximate middle, we ended up buying a home in the country’s Winter Strawberry Capital, Beautiful, Historic Plant City.” They moved into their newly constructed home in the Walden Lake development in 1998.

The next fifteen-plus years found Patricia and Glenn living in a sun-filled home that was, indeed, well-located between Tampa, Orlando, and Winter Haven (her step-mother’s home in a senior living community). They were active in their parish, St. Clement, which ran a hugely popular “Build Your Own” shortcake booth at the annual Plant City Strawberry Festival. Patricia and Glenn spent many happy hours cleaning and hulling the berries with their friends in the church social hall.

St. Clement was also the site of Patricia and Glenn’s fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. Family members served as assisting deacon, lectors, altar servers, gift-bearers, cantors, musicians, and Eucharistic ministers for the intimate Mass. And, much like on their wedding day, Patricia and Glenn enjoyed a brunch with family and friends afterwards. A highlight was the dedication of the golden anniversary gift from the Kloiber children — a modular building to house St. Clement’s thrift shop, which funds their next-door food pantry (“My Brother’s Keeper”). The thrift shop was appropriately named (and painted) “The Golden Door.”

In 2020, Patricia and Glenn moved to a small assisted living home, sharing Glenn’s final days in comfort. After 63 years with his beloved wife, Glenn moved to his heavenly home on December 27, 2020. A Country Place continued to serve as Patricia’s home, combining a family environment with friendly farm animals (fresh eggs!) and staff who accompanied Patricia’s Alzheimer’s journey with compassion. Patricia continued to relish journalism (subscribing to the Tampa Bay Times), her faith, her Marquette degree (frequently singing “Ring out Ahoya with an M.U. Rah Rah!”), and her children — who gathered virtually on a group Zoom call every Sunday to share the latest family updates and always concluded with expressions of love.

After a childhood of seeking love and happiness, Patricia created her own world of love and happiness. Patricia ensured that each child would know the unconditional and frequently expressed parental love and pride that she had yearned to find as a child. Her love was unyielding and always seemed to be within an arm’s reach. In her words: “God gave us six wonderful children, who, gratefully, love us very much, too. They and their families are of utmost importance to us.”

An opportunity arose for Patricia to reflect and curate her life story, and to relay her values to her extended family. On November 2, 2008, eldest Kathleen recorded a Story Corps interview with Patricia. Four messages framed her narrative:

#1 - Live for Eternity. “Following the example of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, we had our wedding rings inscribed ‘Love is Eternal.’ I firmly believe we should live our comparatively short lives on earth so that we’ll be in heaven for eternity. There we can continue to love and pray for all family members through the Communion of Saints. I can’t visualize life without religion, since life is guided by moral principles.”

#2 - Love and Nurture Your Families. “I encourage everyone to continue loving, caring for, and praying for all family members. Further, continue with the practice of your faith, and continue your own self-development. Two gifts that parents can give to their children: one is roots and the other, wings.”

#3 - Enjoy and Explore History, Especially Your Personal History. “Genealogy has been a passion of mine for decades. But my father would never talk about my birth mother or sister. I really wanted to learn more about my roots. Genealogy was the answer. Besides discovering basic vital statistics, it is fun to unearth family stories. . . . Here is a reminder to listeners: it will be rewarding when you write your own daily ‘history’ in journal or diaries.”

#4 - Engage with Your Communities, Including Church and Civic Communities. “I feel like someone ‘preaching to the choir’ here. You and your families are all so actively involved in worthwhile endeavors, charitable organizations, church activities, and so many more ways of contributing to society. You make us both very proud.”

And then, Patricia added a fifth message: “Wear green on Saint Patrick’s Day!”

(Note: The interview is archived on the StoryCorps website: https://archive.storycorps.org/interviews/mbx004541/. In addition, the audio files and accompanying photographs were transferred to the Library of Congress, where they became a permanent part of American history.)

These messages perfectly summarized the values that guided Patricia’s 95 years of life. Patricia passed peacefully in her sleep on August 4, 2026, after enjoying a day of tasty meals, word-search puzzles, chair yoga, and a weekly visit from a Eucharistic Minister, who provided Holy Communion and prayed the rosary with Patricia. The caregivers at A Country Place shared that Patricia was singing her favorite songs at bedtime. The angels could do no better.

Patricia Flynn Kloiber is survived by children: Kathleen Kloiber Koch (Jonathan), Daniel(Brooke), Elizabeth Abely, Megan Martin (Bill), Laurie Dever, and Thomas (Mary Beth). Her 18 grandchildren include Aaron (Jennifer Koester) and Gillian Koch; David (Marci), Nicholas (Caragh), Casey (Diana), Michael (Kara), Lincoln, and Atlas Kloiber; Patricia and Kathryn Abely; Sean (Brittany Wallace) and Patrick Martin; Alexis, Emily (Dan), and Catherine Dever; and Ryan, TJ, and Will Kloiber. Patricia’s nine great-grandchildren are Nathaniel and Benjamin Koch, Xander and Lexi Kloiber, Ruari and Sorcha Kloiber, Rowan and Fenton Kloiber, and Kai Kloiber. She is predeceased by her husband of 63 years, Glenn Kloiber, her parents, Joe and Sylvia Flynn, her stepmother, Mina Flynn, and her sister, Kathleen Carol Flynn.

The Rite of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Holy Family Catholic Church in Woodruff, Wisconsin, on August 29, 2026. Inurnment will follow at St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery, in Woodruff. Arrangements are under the care of Blount & Curry Funeral Home.

Anyone wishing to make a donation in Patricia’s honor is invited to support the mission of the Golden Door Thrift Shop (which funds the My Brother’s Keeper Food Pantry at St. Clement Catholic Church) by mailing a check payable to “My Brother’s Keeper” to St. Clement (1104 N., Alexander St., Plant City, FL 33563) or by contributing to another charity meaningful to the donor.