Patti Dunlap

June 11, 1942 - October 7, 2014

Sadly, Patti passed away unexpectedly due to cardiac arrhythmia. She sent her last email before midnight and was found about three hours later with her Kindle beside her. She was reading The Boys in the Boat. She loved the book.

Her death was what we've heard called a "Cadillac death," when a person dies while doing something they love and without having suffered through some debilitating medical condition.

We often talked about death and dying, and although we both knew it would be a terrible loss, Patti always said, "Remember, I'm just on to my next assignment."

Patti has always been "on assignment." Her earliest job started when she was 14 and was given a driver's license to drive her mother around to pick up preschool children to take to her mother's preschool in San Antonio, Texas.

Due to her mother's illness, Patti took over running the preschool in her early 20s.

She often held two jobs to support her family and to work her way through college.

Patti's first professional teaching job was in an inner-city school in San Antonio, where she again drove around the neighborhood in her van, picking up kids to make sure they got to school.

She moved from San Antonio to Nome, Alaska, to teach in public schools in order to improve the economic conditions of a single mom with two children. After two or three years teaching in Nome, Patti and her daughters moved to Anchorage, Alaska.

In 1985, while working for the Anchorage School District, Patti met Karla Strutzel, the person who would eventually become her spouse. When Patti retired, she and Karla moved to Sequim.

A city girl, Patti learned to use gardening tools and put all the energy she had into planting, planting, planting.

Thanks to the voters of the state of Washington and after 28 years together, Patti and Karla married in March 2013. Since that day, our lives have become increasingly happy and our love for one another more dear.

Patti "retired" three times. Having taught in Alaska for 23 years, she retired from the Anchorage School District. She taught special education at Sequim Middle School for a few years and retired.

She taught special education students and served as a special education leader for the Port Angeles School District until retiring about two years ago.

She continued part-time work for PASD until October 6, a day on which she wore her Seattle Seahawks jersey to work.

Patricia Anne Graves was the first-born child of her parents, Annie Ruth Johnson Graves and Lee Thomas Graves of Uvalde, Texas. She was the first-born grandchild of both sets of grandparents and the first-born niece of numerous aunts and uncles.

In her 20s, she married and bore two daughters, Candance Dunlap and Miranda Dunlap. She divorced the girls' father. Patti raised her kids essentially as a single mother with help from her brother and sister.

She always sought to improve their chances in life, encouraging them to get an education. She was playful with her daughters.

Her daughters adored her because of her enthusiasm, energy, silliness and willingness to try anything new.

She went birding with one daughter two days before her passing and corresponded daily with her daughter in New Zealand.

Patti loved listening to and performing music of all kinds. She played trumpet at Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio. She earned a trumpet scholarship to Baylor University. She performed in the University of Alaska Guitar Ensemble. She also performed here with the NorthWest Women's Chorale (Go, altos!).

Patti had an exceptional memory for literature, facts, history, science, art. One of her more recent endeavors was to teach "memory" classes at three local churches, encouraging people to be aware, pay attention, be present.

Patti was a prodigious reader. She reported that "for unknown reasons," she spent "all of second grade shelving books in the library."

She enthusiastically participated in many book discussions with individuals and groups. There was rarely a book mentioned that she hadn't already read.

Patti traveled extensively throughout her life. When on one trip, she would be planning the next trip.

At the time of her passing, she already had two trips confirmed and was planning another trip to New Zealand.

She recently said, "I wish there was some way to travel everywhere to see everyone without reservations, airplanes or having to pay for it."

Patti is survived by her spouse, Karla Strutzel; her daughters, Candance Hall of New Zealand and Miranda Dunlap of Port Angeles; her sister, Jan Pollard of San Antonio; her brother, Tommy Graves, and wife Merriel, both of Anchorage; her nephews, Trevor Graves of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Michael Graves of Astoria, Oregon; along with uncles, aunts and many cousins in Texas.

Also surviving her are Ric and Mary Strutzel, both of Cashmere, Washington; Jessica and Corey Reed, both of Wenatchee, Washington; Matthew Lippert of Cashmere; Andrew and Jenn Strutzel, both of Woodinville, Washington; and five grandnieces.

There will be a celebration of Patti's life Saturday, June 13, 2015, at 2 p.m. at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 Lopez Avenue, Port Angeles. There will be music, singing, reading, celebration and joy. Please mark your calendars and plan to come.