Patricia Ann Relyea

Patricia Ann Relyea

Vero Beach, FL

Patricia "Patty" (Householder) Relyea, 89, of Vero Beach passed away at VNA Hospice House on October 12, 2018, after an extended illness. She was born April 20, 1929, in Madison, WI, the youngest child of Glen and Erma (Dieter) Householder. She spent her childhood in Brattleboro, VT where she graduated from Brattleboro Union High School in 1947 then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta sorority. Following graduation in 1951 with a degree in Speech Pathology, she married her college sweetheart, Philip "Pete" Relyea at Camp Gordon in Augusta, GA before he was deployed to serve in the Korean War. In his absence, Patty lived in Hartford, CT where she worked as a Special Ed teacher in the Hartford public school system, then moved back to Brattleboro to work at the Austine School for the Deaf. Upon Pete's return, they moved to Middlebury, VT where Pete managed a car dealership in nearby Vergennes. In 1959, they settled in Newfane, VT until they retired in 1986 to Vero Beach, FL.

Patty was very active in the Newfane community; she belonged to the Newfane Congregational Church, served as President of the Newfane Garden Club and volunteered to help the community in many ways, including a memorable stint in 1970 as a census-taker going door to door via 4-wheel drive in the Vermont backwoods during "Mud Season." She was assistant postmistress for 10 years at the Newfane Post Office.

As a Vero Beach resident, Patty served on condo boards for Riverside Gardens & Timber Ridge Village II. She was a deacon at the Community Church, member of AAUW and founding member of its Gourmet Group, an active bridge player and instigator of fun social activities!

Patty embraced life and loved to be "on the go" - she was always game for an impromptu party, organizing a group to try the newest restaurant or planning trips with dear friends and family. Her motto was "If you don't want me, don't invite me!" She will be remembered for hosting royal wedding parties to watch the nuptials for Charles & Diana and William & Kate. With the time difference, this meant arriving at her home at 4:00 am to sip Bloody Marys or mimosas! She loved to entertain family and friends, laugh at a good joke and always have something fun to look forward to on her calendar. To paraphrase, she cooked with wine and sometimes added it to the food!

She had many passions from a prolific green thumb, traveling, attending her granddaughters' sporting events and graduations, reading, solving the weekly New York Times crossword, and staying connected on her iPad where she played numerous, concurrent games of Words with Friends. Most of all she fiercely loved her family, friends and her dogs.

Patty was predeceased by her parents; husband, Pete; brothers, Neil, Howard, John, and sister, Helen. She is survived by her devoted daughter and son-in-law, Paige & Charles Lehman and beloved granddaughters, Sarah & Emily of Cooper City, FL and her dear niece & family, Sue & Mike Zaleski of Middleton, WI, Sara Zaleski of Denver, CO & David Zaleski of Orlando, FL. Additional survivors include nieces, Sharon Meier (Harold) of Sun Prairie, WI and Nancy Householder of Madison, WI; nephews, Glen Householder (Erika) of Bloomingdale, IL and Steve Householder (Judy) of Waunakee, WI plus several grandnieces/nephews and great-grand nieces/nephews. She will be greatly missed by her family, dear friends and special canine companion, Skippy now of Cooper City.

The family wishes to thank Dr. William McGarry and his staff, the staff of Brookdale Vero Beach South and VNA Hospice House for their wonderful care and a special mention to Katie Kirchner for her devoted help and companionship.

At Patty's request, there will be no service. The family will host a celebration of her life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Vero Beach Dog Park, https://verobeachdogpark.org/donations, 505 Beachland Blvd., Suite 1-124, Vero Beach, FL 32963 or The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, https://donate.lls.org/lls/donate, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, PO Box 98018, Washington, DC 20090-8018. Condolences may be shared online at www.coxgiffordseawinds.com.