Patricia Louise Switzer

She had been battling cancer in the last year.

Patricia was born March 28th, 1948, in Denver, Colorado. Her parents were William and Mary

Fitzgerald. Her family moved to Central City, Colorado, when she was a child. After high school,

Patricia married Rick Switzer and moved to Boulder, Colorado. There she worked at Midland

Savings Bank for many years.

In the late 1970’s they divorced but stayed close friends. This is when Patricia started her

second act and decided to go to college at CU Boulder to study art. Her then 12 year old son Kyle,

recounts many late nights hanging around the art department as she learned the art of

lithography.

At that time, she also caught the acting bug and performed with the Boulder Repertory

Company in the early 1980’s.

Patricia later went on to work for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts executive offices.

While working at the DCPA, she also decided to dive deeper into yet another passion -

photography. She quickly became well known throughout the Denver photography community as a

stand-out photographer for stage and screen.

As a photographer her work has appeared regionally in the Rocky Mtn. News and Denver Post,

nationally in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, American Theatre Magazine, and

internationally in The Times Herald & The Tokyo Daily just to list a few. She produced the Emmy

nominated documentary "When I Hear Thunder" which aired on PBS and was the executive asst.

to the executive producer on "Playing Shakespeare" with John Barton, also a PBS release. Her

photography/film experience includes feature films, TV and video release as well as stills for stage,

commercials and training videos. This work provided opportunities to travel abroad and soak in

new cultural experiences.

Also, during her time at the DCPA - in a simple twist of fate - she met her love Gary, a

playwright and author, who shared her love of theatre and the arts. For many years now, they

have enjoyed each other's company and sharing a life together.

In 1996 she received a new title - Nana! And as with everything, she excelled at being Nana.

The “girls” enjoyed a special relationship and enjoyed spending days together, just the two of

them.

In 2018, she watched her granddaughter Chloe graduate from college in Oregon, and in true

Patricia style, threw a little party to mark the occasion.

Her love of art and culture was reflected in her warm home and the fabulous feasts she created

for friends and family at Thanksgiving, Christmas and throughout the year.

Through all the chapters of her life, one thing remained a constant - her deep connections and

relationships. Patricia made lifelong friendships wherever she went. She will be deeply missed by

all who knew her.

She is survived by her son Kyle Switzer, daughter-in-law Bettina Switzer, granddaughter Chloe

Switzer, her longtime partner Gary Leon Hill, cousin Theodore Trainor, as well as other family

members and countless friends.

A celebration of Patricia’s life will take place later this year. Updates and will be posted here.