Patricia (Hicks) Pate

PORTAGE – Patricia (Hicks) Pate, 90, born on July 24, 1930, passed peacefully in her sleep on January 17, 2021.  Pat was born in Pittsburgh, PA and grew up in Charleroi, PA.  After finishing school Pat moved with her family to Kokomo, IN where she later enlisted in the Women’s Army Corp (WAC).  Upon completing basic training at Camp Lee, VA, she then transferred to Fort Sheridan, IL where she met and later married her late husband, SFC Donald James Pate (upon his return from Korea).  They then moved to his hometown of Portage, WI where they made it their family home since that time with Pat having been involved in their church and community from the start. 

Pat was busy as a full-time mother as well as having been employed in a number of retailers in Portage as well as being a business owner selling home décor, interior furnishings and cosmetics. 

For enjoyment she absolutely loved reading and could get lost in a book and move onto the next in mere days.  Music was another form of pure enjoyment for her; she loved vintage through classical to old and modern gospel.  She also truly loved gardening in her flowerbeds and watching the wildlife frolic. 

Pat loved her children and grandchildren more than anything and considered them her greatest gift and achievement. 

Patricia was preceded in death by her late husband, Donald J. Pate (1994).  She is survived by her sister, Lisa A. Vassele, of Kokomo, IN; two sons, Donald (Ying) Pate and Richard Pate; three daughters, Kathleen Duffy, Cindy Hanson and Debbie (Stuart) Simmons; three grandchildren, Benjamin Bolgrin, Bridget Duffy and Emily (Ascension) Bribiescas; and three great grandchildren, Ziva, Cameron and Alonzo.

Pat was a cheerful, loving, positive light in many people’s lives and will be truly missed.

A memorial visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage.