Patricia Colleen Southard

1962 - 2019

Patricia Colleen Southard

Patti Southard, born June 28, 1962 passed away suddenly April 15, 2019. Daughter of the late Cecelia and Thomas Southard. Survived by her twin sister Ellen Southard of Seattle, brother Thomas Southard, niece Jennifer Eppler of Hammonton, NJ. McKenna and Boyle cousins, Aunt Sophie Abbott and Abbott/Tweedie cousins. She was deeply loved by her "adopted Dad" George Butrus and family. Patti showered love and attention on her friends children and was an Auntie to many.

Patti attended Stockton State University and the University of Montana where she studied women's issues and environmental science. She became a certified Sustainability Management Advisor at Harvard University. Patti came to Washington in 1986 as a camp counselor at Four Winds Westward Ho where she taught canoeing and sailing. Her love of life and laughter was infectious. She traveled the world over including Europe multiple times, sailed through the South Pacific and explored Mexico, and Canada. She was an avid camper and loved outdoor adventures.

Patti was a fierce social and environmental activist. She led the King County GreenTools Program for 13 years. She served on the Board of Directors of NNRG for ten years, co-founded the Bra Show for Breast Cancer and became an Oxfam Ambassador in 2010 advocating for refugees and climate change. She was also active in the Democratic Party of Washington State. Patti won numerous awards throughout her career and was named Honorary AIA Seattle and a Fellow of the International Living Future Institute.

The Cascadia bioregion lost one of its most inspired and inspiring leaders. Patti was a fantastic friend, colleague, and co-conspirator in the quest to align humanity with the natural systems on which we utterly depend. She represented the vanguard of the sustainability movement, weaving together ecosystem stewardship and social justice using the common thread of love and respect. Patti's role as mentor and supporter to so many in her field, and especially emerging professional women, has laid some of the essential foundation stones required to avoid robbing future generations the opportunity to realize their best potential. King County Executive, Dow Constantine honored her on Earth Day saying, "I want to mark the passing of a shining star in our sustainability community and the King County family. I know that many of you are familiar with Patti Southard, and intensely dedicated public servant and a dynamic force of nature in advancing environmental sustainability. If you knew Patti, she probably pushed you, and probably persistently, to do more, to take risks, and to radically transform our approach to the built environment."

Patti's Life Celebration will be held on May 19th from 1:30 - 5:00 at Hangar 30 Magnuson Park, 6310 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA 98115. Donations in her name can be made to Oxfam America and the International Living Future Institute.