Patricia Beetle

Beetle, Patricia
SCHODACK - Pat Beetle was born Anna Patricia Gibson on September 14, 1924, to John C. Gibson and Minnie Welling Gibson. Pat's early years in Buffalo, and then Kenwood, N.Y., were filled with a strong sense of community. Pat graduated from Sherrill High School in 1942, and Skidmore College in 1946, before deciding to pursue a degree in guidance and work placement from Teachers College, Columbia University.
After living in Brooklyn and Kansas City, Mo., Pat moved to Albany to be closer to her ailing father, and took a job in career placement at the N.Y.S. Nursing Association. It was here, on a canoe trip with fellow members of the Adirondack Mountain Club, that she met David Beetle, the "elderly editor" of the Knickerbocker News. Pat and Dave were married on January 2, 1958. They engaged in the political conversation of the hour, enjoyed theater, travel, and continued to hike and paddle together. Their son, Christopher, was born on September 30, 1959, followed by their daughter, Karen Ann, on April 6, 1961.
Pat was deeply impacted in her early life by her experiences of racial segregation in the South, the losses of many friends and family during the second World War, and the news of the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Her activism blossomed in response to the Vietnam war and the violence directed at the civil rights movement. In 1965, she joined the Albany Friends Meeting, beginning a decades-long involvement with Quakerism.
After Dave died of congestive heart failure in July 1972, Pat channeled her grief and life energy into full time activism for peace and social justice. Her commitment to a better future led to decades of work for nuclear disarmament, the creation of the Albany Dispute Mediation Program, the establishment of the Alternatives to Violence curriculum in state prisons, support for refugees, organizing to counteract climate change, and participating in delegations to promote international solidarity. She helped organize Women Against War in response to the Iraq War, and, later, was a founding member of Grannies for Peace – an organization of women speaking out against the threats of climate change and war. Her last vigil with Grannies for Peace was on Mother's Day 2024. She called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Pat died peacefully at her home on May 28, 2024, four months short of her 100th birthday. Pat's deep commitment and decades of activism are her legacy. May we carry forth, uplifted and inspired by her activism, her dedication and her enduring vision of a better world.
Pat is survived by her daughter, Karen Beetle (Victor Anderson); her son, Christopher Beetle; her granddaughter, Fern Beetle-Moorcroft (Oliver Goosen); the children of the late David Beetle, Jr., Gwen Beetle (Matthew Hudson), Kathy Sico (Vince Sico), Ben Beetle (Lily Beetle); and great-granddaughters, Vianne Hudson, Violet Sico and Sophia Beetle; her nieces, Mary Ann Balestreiri and Barbara Busch; and the many great-nieces and nephews in her beloved West Coast family. Extended family includes Cindy Moorcroft (Cindi Clo); and Cindi's daughter, Victoria.
Calling hours will take place at the Albany Friends Meeting, 727 Madison Avenue, Albany, on Thursday, June 6, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Friday, June 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. A memorial service will be held under the care of the Albany Friends Meeting, on what would have been Pat's 100th birthday, Saturday, September 14, at 4 p.m., at the Albany UU (405 Washington Avenue, Albany). Please join with her family to honor and celebrate Pat, and to hold each other in the light.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Albany Friends Meeting, earmarked for the Pat Beetle Memorial Fund. Funds will be split between the Alternatives to Violence Project and Young Peacemakers Week.
For further information and online condolences, please visit: SimpleChoicesCremation.com