Patricia Molden

Patricia Ellen Molden passed peacefully on Feb. 10, 2023, surrounded by loved ones and family.

She is survived by her husband, Theodore Craig Molden; her children, Elizabeth Kelly, Stephanie Russell (Jason) and James Molden; her grandchildren, Jacob, Benjamin, Adeline, Eleanora, Everly and Dorothy; and her siblings, Thomas, James, Nancy, William, Mary, Maureen and Colleen. She was preceded in death by her beloved sister, Kathleen; and her parents, Thomas and Audrey (Higgens) Kelly.

Patti was born on Sept. 9, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in a large, close-knit Irish family. She attended Northwestern University, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature. While traveling in Europe, she fell in love with cooking and French cuisine. She later went on to receive classical culinary training at John Snowden's Dumas Pere L'École de la Cuisine Francais in Chicago and became a well-known caterer in the region, eventually opening her own fine dining restaurant, Kelly's Table, in 2003.

She will be remembered as a deeply caring, hardworking, sincere and compassionate person who found fulfillment in baking, history, art, travel, music, landscaping and, above all, spending quality time with her family and friends, whose lives she enriched profoundly each day.

Moving from the big city to a few acres on the countryside to have a family was her lifelong dream, and she kept herself and others busy planting crops, landscaping ornamental gardens, caring for the forest, cleaning up litter, canning her harvests and patiently supporting her husband and children's tendencies to foster orphaned raccoons, kittens and baby birds. Her summers consisted of weekend visits with the family to Lake Michigan for sailing and reading in the sand.

Patti could always be counted on for a solid book recommendation, and anyone lucky enough to have received one of her handwritten cards will attest to her ability to touch souls with her gracious and moving words. She was a lifelong learner, whose inquisitive nature led her to historic sites, national parks, forests and galleries around the world. While visiting her son in San Diego, she was known to take the same tour sometimes multiple times in a day, because she loved the way each guide could teach her something new.

Patti cared deeply about the environment, social justice, her faith and making her community a better place through her support of organizations like the Michigan City Chamber Music Festival and the Mission Committee at First Presbyterian Church, where she was a member since 1985. Her work on the committee called her to intense leadership of the soup kitchen. When they had to quickly pivot in March 2020, she wrote grants to the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte and the Unity Foundation, which kept her church as well as the United Methodists and the Lutherans operating for nearly three years.

She would go on to initiate and collaborate on other numerous grants for the community. She founded the Thanksgiving Gratitude Marketplace, was active in education classes and was particularly passionate about her church being welcoming to all, regardless of skin color or orientation. She was a guidepost of moral fortitude for all those who encountered her, especially her children. Anyone who knew Patti will continue to look to her memory for guidance as a champion of what is right over what is easy.

We invite friends and family to join us in honoring her life on Feb. 20 at First Presbyterian Church, located at 121 W 9th St., Michigan City, Indiana. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Memorial service will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Presbyterian Church of Michigan City, 219-879-4501, on her behalf.