Patricia N. Stevens
Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandma and Friend
August 12, 1948—March 21, 2004
Photos from Pat's services
|
After
Glow
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an after glow of smiles when life is done. I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways, Of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave when life is done. I’m Free Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free I’m following the path God has laid you see. I took His hand when I heard him call I turned my back and left it all. I could not stay another day To laugh, to love, to work, to play. Tasks left undone must stay that way I found that peace at the close of day. If my parting has left a void Then fill it with remembered joy. A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss Oh yes, these things I too will miss. Be not burdened with times of sorrow I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow. My life’s been full, I savored much Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch. Perhaps my time seemed all too brief Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief. Lift up your hearts and peace to thee God wanted me now; He set me free |
Program
Opening Song:
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives” Opening Prayer : Ira M. Stevens (Father-In-Law) Opening Remarks and Candle Lighting Dick Winchell (Family Friend) Poem/Reading: Tim Hildre (Family Friend) “Welcome Home” Chronology - Margaret Dindinger (Family Friend) Musical Number : Sandy King & Lorraine Marshall “How Great Thou Art” Eulogy - Tammy A. Fisher (Daughter) Musical Number : Sandy King & Lorraine Marshall “My Favorite Things” Remarks– Karen Newton - (Family Friend) Poem/Reading : Jeremiah Fisher (Son-in-Law) “I’m Free” Closing Song : God Be With You Till We Meet Again” Closing Prayer - Joanne Liddle Respects and Viewing |
| Welcome Home Lord take our Mother's hand and lead her through your Promised Land; Walk her down those streets of gold in that land where she will never grow old; Show her those jasper walls, and over there her Father calls to welcome her home to that land so fair where the Lamb is the light and there's no night there. Wipe away the tears from her eye and tell her we will be there by and by. Show her the mansion that you have prepared so she will know just how much you cared. By then, Lord, she will just settle down with never a tear and never a frown; Pure joy will be hers at last and only fond memories of things past. She will be content now to rest and wait until all she loved on earth will pass through the gate. |
Patricia N. Stevens
August 12, 1948—March 21, 2004 Pat was born on August 12, 1948, in Sheringham, Norfolk, England. She was raised in Sheringham, where she attended primary and secondary school. She moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1965 to live with her aunt, Crystal Timmons. During the time that Pat was living in Washington state she met her husband to be, and her and John were married on October 22, 1966 at Fort Lewis, Washington. In May of 1967 Tammy, Pat and John’s first child was born at Fort Braggs, North Carolina. The new family then came to Juneau, this is where Pat and Tammy stayed while John was stationed in Vietnam. During the time that John was stationed in Vietnam, to help make ends meet, Pat house sat and cared for many peoples children. Upon John’s return the family decided to make their home in Juneau. In August of 1972 their son, Scott, was born here in Juneau. Pat spent several years at home raising Tammy and Scott and during this time she opened her heart and her home to other peoples children as she began caring for them in her own home. After both the children were in school, Pat and John took a position as the onsite managers for the Airport Motel and Apartments. Pat and John served in this capacity for several years. After which she began working at the Breeze Inn market, she worked at the Breeze for approximately 5 years, during this time Pat made many friends. As her children grew into young adults she then took her honed skills as a loving mother and care provider to the next level as she began serving as the Executive Residence Steward at the Governor’s Mansion. This was a position that Pat truly loved, she not only enjoyed the work but she cherished the people that she worked with and served. To say that Pat made friends while in this position is an under statement, Pat would say that those she worked with, were more like family. On March 20, 2004 Pat completed her 15th year of service in the Governor’s Mansion; a milestone she was truly proud of. She will be missed by many. |
Beloved Wife, Mother, Grandma and Friend
Eulogy
Patricia N. Stevens
August 12, 1948—March 21, 2004
As I look around this
room today I know
that my mom is watching each and everyone of us and that she is honored
by how many people are here today to bid her farewell and to show their
love and support to our family and to each other. On my families
behalf I want to thank each and everyone of you for your love and
support and the prayers and the tears that you have shed with us and
for us. And I know that my mom would like to thank you too , for
being here to help her family.
I would like to begin by reading a poem by Helen Steiner:
A Mother’s Love
A Mother’s love is something that no one can explain.
It’s made of deep devotion and of sacrifices and pain.
IT is endless and unselfish, enduring come what may,
For nothing can destroy it or take that love away.
IT is patient and forgiving, when all others are forsaking.
And it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking.
IT believes beyond believing, when the world around condems.
And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest Gems.
IT is far beyond defining, IT defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret, Like the mysteries of Creation.
A many splendored miracles that man cannot understand,
And another wondrous evidence of God’s tender, building hand.
A Mother’s Love.
Our Mom was a beautiful woman both inside and out. She reveled in the simple things in life. She was never one to adorn herself with diamonds or furs, the thing she adorned herself with most was the love of her family and friends.
It was the simplest things in life that my mom found pleasure in. During the summer she used to love to get all of her “chores” done and then in the afternoon she would go sit down in the back yard and watch the birds and the squirrels doing their little chores. One afternoon I remember her and I sitting on the back deck and we were watching the squirrels scurrying from tree to tree and she said “the squirrels are busy today” then she laughed and said “I already got MY chores done”. Mom loved to sit on the back deck with dad and visit while he was bar-b-queing. She also got so much joy out of renting a movie and sitting in her chair, with her licorice or big hunk candy bars. Many times I found myself calling and she would tell me that her and dad were either on the back deck “JUST RELAXING” or “Watching a Movie”. She enjoyed these special moments.
All of you here today are a testament to how many lives she touched and how special she was. My mom had a special spirit about her all the time, she was warm and tender and compassionate towards others. Even when things were rough each new day she rose like the sun to brighten everyone’s lives. She could turn even a shack into a castle, and she did. My dad tells a story about the first home they had together, it was a small one room apartment above a horse barn and she used to joke how she had a horse that lived underneath her and yet she was able to make this little place a home for dad and her. Dad remembers how he loved coming home to this little humble place because mom made it special.
My mom was full of compassion she could feel everything other people felt, whether they were happy or sad she could experience these emotions with them. It was easy for her to put herself in someone else’s shoes. She always tried to be there for her children, her husband and her friends. She would do anything that she could to ease another persons suffering. My brother recalls how mom was not only his mom, but she was also his best friend. He remembers talking with her about anything and everything and though he knew at times he may have done something that she wouldn’t approve of he knew that she would never past judgment on him. Before him and his wife got married he used to come over to the house for coffee every morning and a visit with mom and dad. Mom would often tell me when I called that “She saw Scott today, he stopped by to fill up his coffee cup.” She looked forward to these morning visits.
Mom was a morning person, I remember when she would come in to wake me up for school in the morning she would be singing a song, “I swear” at the top of her lungs and as a teenage girl I remember thinking, “Oh please mom, not yet” and then I would cover my head with the pillow. Then she would say, “your granddad used to say the early bird gets the worm” and I would say, “But I don’t like worms” and we would both start laughing. Everyday with mom was like a sunrise.
Mom had a way of brightening up every room she entered and everything she touched. She could turn a stormy day into a day full of sunshine. She could make you laugh when you didn’t feel like laughing.
Mom knew how to make everyone she met feel special. When she would talk with her family or her friends you knew that she was listening to you. She always looked you in the eyes and acknowledged what you were saying and when you were face to face with her she never seemed to be in a hurry to end the conversation.
For most of my adult life I haven’t lived near my mom and dad but faithfully mom and I would talk each and every week. I could count on the phone ringing around 10:30 or 11:00 every sun day morning and if for some reason we missed each other her little English voice would poor out of the answering machine, “Hi Tammy Ann, it’s mom, just checking in on you, I love you and I’ll call you back later”. I so looked forward to these calls each week and I will miss them very much.
Mom found the greatest pleasure in spending time with her family. Everyday was special to her but Holidays were always the most special with mom. I remember stories that dad and mom told us kids about their first Christmases together. As a private in the army money was not something they had in abundance, every year Mom and Dad would look in their Montgomery Wards wish book and they would flag the pages and circle the things they hoped to have one day, throughout their life together they kept hanging on to those wishes and eventually they got them all. No matter what the financial situation was, holidays were always a special time for all of us. Mom would save and pigeon hole money to make sure that us kids had a nice Christmas every year. She had a selflessness about her that made you love her that much more. She was never concerned with the things that she was getting but always for the things that she was giving. The sparkle in her eyes when dad or us kids opened a present she had gotten for us was brighter then any diamond you could have ever seen.
Perhaps for many of you the first thing you think of when you think of our mom, is how organized she was and how she loved to clean. Shoes off in the garage, garbage bag only half full, wipe down the shower, wipe down the sink, and vacuum everyday. We have found comfort in the fact that she now looks at us and laughs because now Dad has to vacuum. But her tidiness is not the only thing to remember about her.
Mom was a kind and generous person, she loved her husband and her children and she always did her best to take care of us and to love us unconditionally.
Many of you knew my mom as PATRICIA.
PATRICIA is ……………….
P = Patient and protective
A = Attractive and Attentive
T = Talented and Thrifty
R = Respectful and responsible
I = Insistent and intentious
C = Caring and considerate
I = Industrious and independent
A = Appreciative and ambitious
(Written by Tammy Fisher)
These are special qualities that she shared with everyone that knew her and loved her.
Mom was taken from us far too soon, she was young and healthy, still in her prime.
She leaves behind a family that loves her dearly and now that she has left this life here on earth we must all strive to find a new kind of normal without her. But I know that she would not want us to cry and grieve for her long, because she is in heaven preparing a place for us all to meet again.
She will be missed by many. But I hope that every time any of us hear these next two songs we will remember her fondly.
Eulogy was concluded by the song : “Whatever Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” being played from a CD by Doris Day called A Day At The Movies
Lyrics:
When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother…. What will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see Que Sera, Sera. What will be…… will be.
When I grew up and fell in love, I asked my sweetheart… What lies ahead? Will we have rainbows day after day? Here’s what my sweetheart said….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see …..Que Sera, Sera. What will be…. will be.
Now I have children of my own, they ask their mother….. What will I be? Will I be hansom? Will I be rich? I tell them tenderly….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see Que Sera, Sera. What will be will be….Que Sera, Sera
Then a soloist sang “My Favorite Things” from the movie The Sound of Music.
I would like to begin by reading a poem by Helen Steiner:
A Mother’s Love
A Mother’s love is something that no one can explain.
It’s made of deep devotion and of sacrifices and pain.
IT is endless and unselfish, enduring come what may,
For nothing can destroy it or take that love away.
IT is patient and forgiving, when all others are forsaking.
And it never fails or falters, even though the heart is breaking.
IT believes beyond believing, when the world around condems.
And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest Gems.
IT is far beyond defining, IT defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret, Like the mysteries of Creation.
A many splendored miracles that man cannot understand,
And another wondrous evidence of God’s tender, building hand.
A Mother’s Love.
Our Mom was a beautiful woman both inside and out. She reveled in the simple things in life. She was never one to adorn herself with diamonds or furs, the thing she adorned herself with most was the love of her family and friends.
It was the simplest things in life that my mom found pleasure in. During the summer she used to love to get all of her “chores” done and then in the afternoon she would go sit down in the back yard and watch the birds and the squirrels doing their little chores. One afternoon I remember her and I sitting on the back deck and we were watching the squirrels scurrying from tree to tree and she said “the squirrels are busy today” then she laughed and said “I already got MY chores done”. Mom loved to sit on the back deck with dad and visit while he was bar-b-queing. She also got so much joy out of renting a movie and sitting in her chair, with her licorice or big hunk candy bars. Many times I found myself calling and she would tell me that her and dad were either on the back deck “JUST RELAXING” or “Watching a Movie”. She enjoyed these special moments.
All of you here today are a testament to how many lives she touched and how special she was. My mom had a special spirit about her all the time, she was warm and tender and compassionate towards others. Even when things were rough each new day she rose like the sun to brighten everyone’s lives. She could turn even a shack into a castle, and she did. My dad tells a story about the first home they had together, it was a small one room apartment above a horse barn and she used to joke how she had a horse that lived underneath her and yet she was able to make this little place a home for dad and her. Dad remembers how he loved coming home to this little humble place because mom made it special.
My mom was full of compassion she could feel everything other people felt, whether they were happy or sad she could experience these emotions with them. It was easy for her to put herself in someone else’s shoes. She always tried to be there for her children, her husband and her friends. She would do anything that she could to ease another persons suffering. My brother recalls how mom was not only his mom, but she was also his best friend. He remembers talking with her about anything and everything and though he knew at times he may have done something that she wouldn’t approve of he knew that she would never past judgment on him. Before him and his wife got married he used to come over to the house for coffee every morning and a visit with mom and dad. Mom would often tell me when I called that “She saw Scott today, he stopped by to fill up his coffee cup.” She looked forward to these morning visits.
Mom was a morning person, I remember when she would come in to wake me up for school in the morning she would be singing a song, “I swear” at the top of her lungs and as a teenage girl I remember thinking, “Oh please mom, not yet” and then I would cover my head with the pillow. Then she would say, “your granddad used to say the early bird gets the worm” and I would say, “But I don’t like worms” and we would both start laughing. Everyday with mom was like a sunrise.
Mom had a way of brightening up every room she entered and everything she touched. She could turn a stormy day into a day full of sunshine. She could make you laugh when you didn’t feel like laughing.
Mom knew how to make everyone she met feel special. When she would talk with her family or her friends you knew that she was listening to you. She always looked you in the eyes and acknowledged what you were saying and when you were face to face with her she never seemed to be in a hurry to end the conversation.
For most of my adult life I haven’t lived near my mom and dad but faithfully mom and I would talk each and every week. I could count on the phone ringing around 10:30 or 11:00 every sun day morning and if for some reason we missed each other her little English voice would poor out of the answering machine, “Hi Tammy Ann, it’s mom, just checking in on you, I love you and I’ll call you back later”. I so looked forward to these calls each week and I will miss them very much.
Mom found the greatest pleasure in spending time with her family. Everyday was special to her but Holidays were always the most special with mom. I remember stories that dad and mom told us kids about their first Christmases together. As a private in the army money was not something they had in abundance, every year Mom and Dad would look in their Montgomery Wards wish book and they would flag the pages and circle the things they hoped to have one day, throughout their life together they kept hanging on to those wishes and eventually they got them all. No matter what the financial situation was, holidays were always a special time for all of us. Mom would save and pigeon hole money to make sure that us kids had a nice Christmas every year. She had a selflessness about her that made you love her that much more. She was never concerned with the things that she was getting but always for the things that she was giving. The sparkle in her eyes when dad or us kids opened a present she had gotten for us was brighter then any diamond you could have ever seen.
Perhaps for many of you the first thing you think of when you think of our mom, is how organized she was and how she loved to clean. Shoes off in the garage, garbage bag only half full, wipe down the shower, wipe down the sink, and vacuum everyday. We have found comfort in the fact that she now looks at us and laughs because now Dad has to vacuum. But her tidiness is not the only thing to remember about her.
Mom was a kind and generous person, she loved her husband and her children and she always did her best to take care of us and to love us unconditionally.
Many of you knew my mom as PATRICIA.
PATRICIA is ……………….
P = Patient and protective
A = Attractive and Attentive
T = Talented and Thrifty
R = Respectful and responsible
I = Insistent and intentious
C = Caring and considerate
I = Industrious and independent
A = Appreciative and ambitious
(Written by Tammy Fisher)
These are special qualities that she shared with everyone that knew her and loved her.
Mom was taken from us far too soon, she was young and healthy, still in her prime.
She leaves behind a family that loves her dearly and now that she has left this life here on earth we must all strive to find a new kind of normal without her. But I know that she would not want us to cry and grieve for her long, because she is in heaven preparing a place for us all to meet again.
She will be missed by many. But I hope that every time any of us hear these next two songs we will remember her fondly.
Eulogy was concluded by the song : “Whatever Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” being played from a CD by Doris Day called A Day At The Movies
Lyrics:
When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother…. What will I be? Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? Here’s what she said to me….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see Que Sera, Sera. What will be…… will be.
When I grew up and fell in love, I asked my sweetheart… What lies ahead? Will we have rainbows day after day? Here’s what my sweetheart said….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see …..Que Sera, Sera. What will be…. will be.
Now I have children of my own, they ask their mother….. What will I be? Will I be hansom? Will I be rich? I tell them tenderly….
Que Sera, Sera whatever will be, will be, the futures not ours to see Que Sera, Sera. What will be will be….Que Sera, Sera
Then a soloist sang “My Favorite Things” from the movie The Sound of Music.