Patricia Motyka

June 21, 1945 - December 11, 2023

Patricia Alta Motyka, age 78, passed away in her home in Palm Coast, Florida, on Monday evening, December 11, 2023, while in hospice care. After a valiant fight, Patricia lost her long and challenging battle with dementia. Her daughters Debbie and Lisa were at her side when she was finally welcomed by Jesus and all the angels into Heaven.

“Patsy” was the beloved daughter of Marie Bernice Burns and John Alva Burns who she absolutely adored. She spoke of them often in her final days.

Pat is survived by her son Michael Michalak, daughters Beth Michalak, Lisa Motyka (husband James Thrall), and Debbie Motyka-Iott (husband Mike Iott) and her many grandchildren and great grandchildren whom she loved with her entire being: Seth Michalak (Domanik and Ankin), Leah Garrison (Ava, Adrianna, and Aurora), Alan Keasal (Cain and Ryoko), Calvin Michalak (deceased), Mark Keasal, Allisa Michalak (Nadine, Steven), Ashley Keasal (McKinzie, Kaidence, Kora-Leigh, and Roman), and Mikey and Milly Iott. Patricia was the kind of grandmother who got down on her hands and knees and played, read, had sleepovers, and poured her whole heart and soul into her grandkids.

Education and learning were a life-long passion for Patricia, and she instilled this quest for knowledge in everyone around her. As her kids were growing up, they watched her devour books of all kinds as she read next to the fireplace in her favorite chair. Patricia was an extraordinarily hard worker. She worked full time (much of the time on midnight shift) and ran a household while going back to school to pursue a career in Nursing but first earned her Dental Assistant Certification from Washtenaw Community College, July 7, 1988. Patricia was initiated into the Phi Theta Kappa Society April 4, 1991. She received her Associate in Applied Science Nursing from Jackson Community College on April 27, 1992 where she was chosen to give the Invocation and was also awarded “The Wind Beneath My Wings” Award for being a constant source of help, motivation, and comfort to all her classmates. She graduated from the University of Michigan in May of 1997 where she participated in a unique, merit-based combined degree program from which she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Parent-Child Nursing. Shortly thereafter, she began her career as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

Patty loved working with children. One of her most rewarding experiences was working at Bixby Hospital in Adrian, Michigan in the NICU. To know Patty was to love her. She was one of the kindest people who always wanted to help. She was a devout Catholic who dedicated her life to God. She taught catechism classes, served as a youth group leader, and was a surrogate mom to countless kids who she loved and nurtured as her own. To this day, many of the kids can’t imagine a life without her involvement in the St. Joseph’s Shrine Friday night and summer dances, youth group crop walks, ski trips, canoe trips, retreats, spring stations of the cross clean-up, car washes, cedar point trips, and so much more.

Our mom was a unique gem, and she made our childhood at the Mulvaney house special. We will treasure our memories with her picking strawberries, gardening, canning, and playing Neil Diamond and Bach on her record player. She was constantly knitting hats, mittens, slippers, and scarves that kept her kids, nieces/nephews, and grandkids warm through many frigid Michigan winters. Our fondest memories include picnics at Vineyard and Wamplers Lakes, Easter and Christmas Masses, sledding, ice skating, running barefoot in springs and summers, camping outside under the stars, building forts with the neighborhood kids, keeping loads of stray dogs and cats, swimming in the pond, sleepovers, trips to West Virginia, all the 4-H meetings and shows with our horses, and most of all the Christmas holiday where we would bake bread with her for all the neighbors and she would turn our home into a scene from Hallmark.

As we grew, she made sure to attend our multitude of parades, concerts, plays, baseball, basketball, softball, cheerleading, and volleyball games and this tradition continued on with her grandchildren attending many of their special events as well.

Patricia was known by many names: Pat, Patti/Patty, Patsy, Pats, but one thing that remained consistent was her unparalleled resilience, perseverance, faith, friendship, and her unflinching resolve to overcome life’s many challenges. Most of all, it was her tremendous love of life, friends and family, and her remarkable ability to find joy in the smallest of things for which she will be remembered most. She has made a lasting impact on many and will live on in our hearts forever. We will never forget you - mom, grandma, cousin, godmother, aunt, friend.