Patricia K. van Veen

Patricia Konrad van Veen passed away peacefully on February 27, 2011 at the age of 91. She was born December 22, 1919 to Ferdinand and Lucille Konrad in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy and attended Marylhurst College. She met Francis Leonard van Veen at a school dance in 1939, and in 1945, they married in Portland. They eventually settled in Spokane, Washington in 1964 where Francis is a medical doctor (retired). This past October they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Together, Patricia and Francis raised 16 children and she will be missed by all along with many sons- and daughters-in-law and their families: sons John, Richard, Michael, Robert, Steven, and David. Daughters: Mary Strzelec, Christina Ager, Kerry, Suzie Scofield, Barbara Harper, Julia Shaughnessy, Annette Moore, Margaret Smith, and Sara Desmond. Twenty grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, in-laws to her children and grand-children, and numerous nieces and nephews made for a great family gathering at any time. Patricia is preceded in death by her son Paul, who died in a drowning accident in 1970, and all her siblings. Beyond raising the children, Patricia was quite creative and loved doing projects using with her hands. She was excellent in needlepoint, quilting, sewing, ceramics and china painting, pottery, painting on canvas, and the list could go on. She loved the computer, had her own Facebook page, and created her own cookbook. She was an adventurous cook who baked bread and made interesting concoctions such as root beer and dandelion wine. She also loved to read, and she enjoyed learning languages and traveling to explore different regions of the world to practice her skill. Patricia was an independent and free spirit who lived with Francis, proudly taking care of themselves in their own home, until a stroke a few weeks ago left her incapacitated. A memorial service will be held this Saturday, March 5, 2011, 10:00 a.m. at St Thomas More Church. A reception will follow at the church. Please call 509-484-8265 for details.