Patricia Marlatt

Patricia Joan “Pat” Marlatt passed into the arms of her Savior on April 7th, 2024, just three weeks after her 90th birthday. She passed at home peacefully and joyously, with several of her family by her side and with a smile upon her face.

Pat was born in Chase County, Nebraska, on March 17th, 1934. Although her family was proudly Swedish, they marked her birth on Saint Patrick’s Day by naming her for the Irish saint, and she always enjoyed celebrating her birthday with a bit of green. Pat was the youngest of eight children, with four brothers and three sisters. Growing up on a western Nebraska farm, she was the baby of the family – a role which she enjoyed her whole life.

While in school at Nebraska State College in Kearney, Pat met William (“Bill”) Marlatt and they were married in May 1956. They moved to New Jersey for graduate school, where Pat also taught middle school. Returning from the east coast, they settled in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1961. Bill taught at Colorado State University and Pat stayed busy supporting his work, raising their children (Stuart and Valerie), being active at First Christian Church, and connecting with neighbors and friends.

Their house in Fort Collins was a busy, bustling, vibrant place. Pat shared the property on Richmond Drive with a couple of very special dogs, numerous cats, and a long series of horses, calves, and, toward the end, a flock of sheep. Her weekends were often spent camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, skiing; although many of these were primarily Bill’s enthusiasms, Pat was a good sport and happily joined the family on these adventures. And she did dearly enjoy canoeing, and any excuse for a picnic outdoors.

During their sixty years of marriage, Pat and Bill traveled the world, visiting far-flung places from Canada to Antarctica, Africa to Australia, Europe to Russia to China, and every state in the US (most many times). Many of these trips were associated with Bill’s professional work, but they continued their travels after he retired, taking river cruises in China and Ireland, ocean cruises in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, and many long road trips with their camper. Among the highlights of their travels were trips to visit Pat’s sister in Sierra Leone, meeting relatives in Sweden, pulling their camper to Alaska, living several months in Melbourne, Australia, and a year spent in Kunming, China.

But Pat’s real passion was people. Her life revolved around family, friends, and the people she met on their many travels. She would return home from their trips to exotic places – but her stories were about the people with whom they had stayed, who they may be were related to, and myriad seemingly mundane details about their day-to-day lives.

Pat and Bill moved to Loveland in 2009, and Pat enjoyed making many new friends in their neighborhood and at Faith Church. She quickly transformed their new home into a new center of hospitality. After Bill passed in 2016, Pat’s niece Susan and later her older sister Ann came to live with her in Loveland. After Ann passed away in 2021, Susan continued to live with Pat, helping as Pat began to need more assistance, and enjoying being ‘buddies’.

While Pat lived a full and active ninety years, her live might be summed up in “five F’s” – faith, family, friends, flowers, and feathers. She was never as happy as when at home with her house bustling with friends and family (and her ever-present camera made the gathering an event to be remembered, no matter the occasion). She was proud of her children and their spouses, her grandchildren, and of all her many nieces and nephews who came to think of Pat’s house as almost a second home. Her house and yard were always burgeoning with blooming flowers, and she loved to watch the birds (the 5th ‘F’) visiting feeders just beyond the kitchen window.

As we remember Pat, we recall her big shining smile that could brighten any room. We recall the unconditional love and acceptance which she knew from her Lord and which she extended to all she that met. She had a mischievous sense of humor and could be a bit of a rascal (it wasn’t uncommon for her to suggest a special breakfast – and then announce that she was out of all the key ingredients!). She radiated positivity and rarely complained about anything. While her life had its share of difficult times (some in fact very difficult), she remained almost impossibly optimistic. Sometimes her optimism bordered on being a little pollyanna, and we teased her that her death certificate would list the cause of death as “I’m Fine” – to which she just smiled and laughed.

But most importantly, Pat’s Christian faith permeated every facet of her life. Her trust in Jesus was at the very core of who she was and her confidence of her life to come in heaven was as natural to her as breathing. She greeted almost every day with a verse from Psalm 118: “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!”, and I know even as that she passed, she was rejoicing in the day the Lord has made.

A Memorial Celebration of Pat’s Life will be held on May 21st, 2024 at 11:00 am at Faith Church, 2707 Wilson Avenue, Loveland, Colorado. Fond memories of Pat and words of condolence for her family are welcome at www.resthavencolorado.com .