Patrick McCusker

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Patrick McCusker on November 27, 2024, in Eugene, Oregon. A beloved husband, brother, uncle, and friend, Patrick will be forever remembered for his beautiful smile, his sense of humor, his goofiness, his curiosity, and his breadth of knowledge. He loved art, music, movies (especially those on TCM), dance, and theatre - a true Renaissance man. Patrick could engage in conversation with anyone and was great at supporting people and connecting them with others. He had the most generous and loving heart and always saw the best in people. When Patrick walked into a room, he could light it up with his energy. He loved to cook, especially for company, and was an excellent intuitive cook. Patrick and Stacey celebrated everything from Solstice to Oregon Blue Cheese Day. His creativity was boundless – from dancing with trash bins named Fred and Ginger during a pandemic neighborhood get together, arranging Sound of Music sing-a-longs, or creating family art projects. Patrick loved all kinds of music and sang all the time, leading others to call him the human IPOD. He loved both the excitement of big cities and the beauty of nature.
Patrick was born in Halsted, Kansas on April 15, 1957, to Emmet and Phyllis (Sweetland) McCusker. He was the youngest of seven children. At age 15, he and his mother moved to Boulder, Colorado where he attended Fairview High School, graduating in 1975. It was there that he met his future wife Stacey Stowall McCusker in 1973, when they both participated in a summer theatre program for local high school students. Ah, those moments in the dark waiting to move the revolving stage. Patrick attended Yale University where he obtained his degree in American Studies; a degree that he always said qualified him to watch TV.
After graduation, Patrick lived in Berkeley, California for a year or so and then moved to Hill City, South Dakota to work for his sister Mary, a sole practitioner attorney, as her secretary. Deciding that a career in law was not for him, he became the sole employee of Group Theater, a community theater in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he also performed, directed, and designed costumes. Stacey joined him in Rapid City for a year and in 1984 they moved to Durham, North Carolina. After a brief stint as a Kelly Girl, Patrick worked for the American Dance Festival in Durham for several years and then worked at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. Patrick and Stacey married in 1988. In 1991, they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he worked in development at the Walker Art Center. In 1994, he became the associate director for public affairs at the Wexner Center of the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. In 2001, they moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Patrick worked as the director of development at the Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2004, he transitioned to a job at the University of Chicago in the Social Sciences Division where he worked until 2016. In Chicago, Patrick was on the board of directors for the House Theatre of Chicago and belonged to the Friends of Columbia College Dance. In 2016, he accepted a job at the University of Oregon in Eugene, as the senior director of development in the College of Design (formerly the School of Architecture and Allied Arts). He retired in 2018. Patrick described his job history as getting on a bus and then getting off when another bus came along. It was always an adventure.
Patrick is predeceased by his parents and his beloved sister Phyllis and her husband Ray. He is survived by his wife Stacey, his siblings Mike (Mary) McCusker, Brian, Mary (Allen) McCusker, Kevin, and Kris (Jace), his in-laws John (Toni) Stowall, Lisa (Mike) Thompson, his nieces and nephews Mac, Jim (Salisa), Megan, Becky, Aaron, Alex, Scott (Kimberly), Garrett (Lauren), Emily (Daniel), Reid (Fernanda), Abigail (Aaron), dear friends Becca, Julian, Phoebe, and Lucy Wooldridge, and many other loving friends and colleagues across the country.
A celebration of life/memorial will be planned sometime later this year. Please donate in his name, if you wish, to arts organizations including dance companies, theatre companies, or museums.