Obit: Steele, Patricia “Patty” Louise (1945 - 2019)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Steele, Aadalen, Cook, Waldal

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 5/01/2019

Steele, Patricia “Patty” Louise (23 February 1945 – 20 April 2019)

Patricia “Patty” Louise Steele, age 74, of Neillsville, passed away peacefully with family by her side on Saturday, April 20, 2019, at the Marshfield St. Joseph’s Hospital Palliative Care Center in Marshfield.

Patty was born to Woodrow and Phyllis (Aadalen) Cook on February 23, 1945 in Red Wing, MN. She graduated from Red Wing High School (1963) and then went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin River Falls with a degree in Elementary Education and English (1967).

On September 3, 1966, she was united in marriage to Gary Alan Steele at Christ Episcopal Church in Red Wing, MN. They lived in River Falls and then moved to Neillsville, where they lived most of their married life, raised a family and operated Heather Ridge Dairy Farm.

While attending University Wisconsin River Falls she was part of the concert choir and a member of Phi Delta Theta. After Gary and Patty purchased and moved to the dairy farm, Patty stayed home with their two children and was involved with the local Home Makers group. When their youngest was in elementary school she took her first job as a librarian at the Neillsville Public Library. She worked there part time for many years until eventually taking a job at the Marshfield Public Library as the Inter-Library Loan Specialist. She worked there for 23 years, from November of 1996 until her passing. She enjoyed her work at the library where she met many wonderful friends and colleagues over the years. Patty had a love for reading, baking, gardening and enjoyed spending time with her family and friends sharing and telling many detailed and engaging stories. Patty also loved to shop for antiques, decorate and made many items or refinished things for their home. They were in the middle of a remodel where she and Gary had spent many hours working together as a team to update and refinish their family home.

She is survived by Gary Steele, her loving and devoted husband of 52 and 1/2 years; son Patrick Steele; daughter Katie Waldal (Scott) and seven grandchildren: Cameron, Colwyn, Carolin, Coleen, Callaghan, Corrigan and Catherin; sister Mary Ann Fish (Bob); brother-in-law Charles Steele (Gail); cousins; two nephews and three nieces.

She is preceded in death by her mother Phyllis Cook (2015), her father Woodrow Cook (1994), brother Geoffrey Cook (1966), her grandparents and many aunts and uncles.

She will be greatly missed by all her family who she deeply loved and cared for, and friends she stayed connected with over the many years from high school, college and those she met and worked with in Neillsville and Marshfield. Her legacy will live on through all of her family and friends. In honor of Patty, tell a story to someone else about her or share a favorite story of your own; donate a book in her memory to a local library, school or shelter; and read to your hearts content.

A Memorial Service for Patty will be held in Neillsville, on July 6, 2019 - at the Gesche Funeral Home with a visitation from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Memorial Service at 11 a.m. with a meal to follow.

Online Condolences may be made at www.geschefh.com. Gesche Funeral Home and Cremation Service is assisting Patty’s family.