Patricia was born on May 14, 1953 in Kansas City, Missouri to Virginia Lippert Brown and Maynard Herbert Brown. She attended Sunset Hill School (Class of ’71) and Williams College (Class of ’75), where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. She continued her studies at the University of Chicago (Class of ‘84), where she received a Master of Arts in Art History.
Art and design were lifelong passions for Patricia, who wanted to fill the world with color and creativity. She encouraged everyone—especially young people—to try new things and to think critically about the world they saw. She began her career at the Historic Kansas City Foundation and Landmarks Commission, where her advocacy played a major role in preserving the Folly Theater. She went on to write award-winning books to help children understand the built environment, including Under Every Roof: A Kid’s Style and Field Guide to the Architecture of American Houses (1993) and Discover America’s Favorite Architects (1996), both of which went into multiple printings. She served on the Kansas City Municipal Art Commission that selected the “Sky Stations” on top of Bartle Hall. Later in life, she founded a gallery with her husband Mike Pronko called P&M Artworks to elevate the voices of upcoming artists.
Throughout her life, this love of beauty, creativity, and self-expression found its way into her clothing, jewelry, and interior design, all of which bore the unmistakable mark of her personal sense of style. Musical theater was a lifelong love of hers, having performed at Williamstown Theater Festival during college, and she could often be heard singing full-throated renditions of the classics in her car or around the house. Patricia was also a firm believer in the equality and dignity of all people, a belief she saw to be at least partly rooted in her Jewish identity.
Most important to Patricia was her family, and she was a devoted wife, daughter, mother, and grandmother. She was a dedicated caretaker of her mother, Virginia Lippert Brown, in her later years. Throughout her life, she loved her children deeply, taking joy in each of their accomplishments and offering help and support in every way that she could. She was proud and fiercely protective, always ready to stand up for them should anyone threaten their dignity or happiness. She loved animals dearly, especially horses, and she leaves behind her three beloved dogs: Ida, Fillmore, and Mamie.
Patricia was preceded in death by her mother Virginia Lippert Brown, her father Maynard Herbert Brown, and her first husband Christopher Armand Glenn. She is survived by her second husband Michael John Pronko, M.D. (Mission Hills, KS); her son Eliot Armand Glenn and his partner Nathaniel Harland Nelson (Maplewood, NJ); her daughter Virginia Glenn Conley, her daughter-in-law Jaimie Glenn Conley, and her granddaughter Jaggard Glenn Conley (Marina del Rey, CA). She is also survived by her brother Andrew Brown and his wife Pat Lyon Brown (Stilwell, KS); her niece Megan Brown Bennett (Overland Park, KS) and her niece Leslie Brown Mische (Redondo Beach, CA) and their families; and her cousin John B. Callen (Chicago, IL).
Her absence will be profoundly felt by the community and especially by her family. We will all miss the zest with which she met life, her profound depth of feeling, her love and support of her family, and her great appreciation of the visual world. There will never be another person like her, and she will live on forever in our hearts.
A memorial service will be held at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO on Saturday, January 14th. Visitation will begin at 11 AM, with services to follow.
Donations should be made to Harvesters or the ASPCA.
