WAND

PATRICIA ANN WAND March 28, 1942~April 28, 2023

Born in 1942 to Ignatius Bernard Wand and Alice Ruth Suhr Wand, Patricia (Pat) was the third child of eight siblings. Raised on a farm in the hills of the Columbia River Gorge between Troutdale and Corbett, OR, she attended Corbett Grade School and was a member of the first graduating class and student body president of Marycrest High School in Portland, OR.

In childhood, Pat was a ten year 4H club member in clothing, sewing, and style revue. Her first project was sewing a pair of pajamas at age nine. As a teenager she won a trip to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. Upon high school graduation, she accepted an Honors Scholarship to Seattle University and after obtaining her Bachelor's degree, immediately joined the second cohort of Peace Corp volunteers sent to Colombia, South America. While there, among many other accomplishments, she and other volunteers were instrumental in allaying fears of the villagers when JFK was assassinated. This first international experience was the catalyst for a lifetime of international travel ultimately sending her to over 50 countries on all continents save Antarctica. Poetically, she passed away while traveling in Spain, her first post-pandemic international trip, after suffering a catastrophic stroke.

Pat's thirst for knowledge and information led her to become a librarian where she worked in a number of libraries at institutions of higher education. This included Columbia University, University of Oregon, American University in Washington, DC, the College of Staten Island (CUNY), Wittenberg University and ended with her retirement from Zayed University in Dubai, UAE.

In retirement Pat filled her days by sewing, traveling, spending as much time as her son would allow visiting her grandsons in Henderson, NV, and tirelessly working to establish the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

Pat is survived by her son, Kirk Dean Silvernail, daughter-in-law, Julia Silvernail, and grandsons Tristan and Logan. She is also survived by her brothers, Jerome, Richard, and David Wand and sisters, Helen and Carolyn Eslick Donaldson as well as Sister-in-laws, Dana, Sharon, and Roberta and brother-in-laws, Gene Casciato and Charles Donaldson, numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and great nephews. She is also survived by her friend and companion Mohsen Vakili and former husband, Francis Silvernail. She joins those that predeceased her: daughter Marjorie Lynn Silverwand, her parents, and her sisters, Ruth Wand Casciato and Dorothy Wand.

A memorial service in the DC area will be held Friday, June 2 at 4 p.m. at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Another memorial service will be held in the Portland, OR area on July 15. In lieu of flowers please consider donating in her name to the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Washington Post on May 7, 2023.

Memories and Condolences
for Patricia Wand

5 Entries

DeNell (Skow) Haines

September 20, 2023

It is with sadness that I just learned of Pat's passing. I grew up across the road from the Wand family. As an only child, they lovingly included me in their family. I cherish the fond memories of those days. I extend my sincere condolences to her family and especially to her brothers and sisters with whom I grew up.

Joe Eldridge

May 30, 2023

I had the pleasure of serving as AU's chaplain during Patricia's tenure as Librarian. We immediately became friends - in part because of her gentle and gracious personhood and in part because we had both worked in Latin America. We swapped many stories of our "hemispheric" experiences - she in Colombia and I in Chile. We were both also interested in helping to pursue a more equitable and just world. Her death hit me like a ton of bricks - and remembering her brought to mind the words of William Sloane Coffin who said when his son was killed, "we take consolation in the love that never dies, and the dazzling grace that always is."

Ann Domenica Cunningham-O'Connell

May 21, 2023

i grew up with Pat's family. spending time at the Wand family achorage overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and jumping from the rafters in the barn make up some of my most memorable recollections of childhood. When Pat joined the Peace Corps, she became my mentor. She was always an inspiration!

Camila Alire

May 10, 2023

Pat will be missed in ALA. She was a wonderful colleague and friend.

Laura Andrews

May 9, 2023

Our hearts go out to Pat's family after reading this news. Pat was an amazing graduate of Antioch University New England, class of 1967, a former Board of Trustee member and honored with our alumni award in 2018. I remember fondly Pat's speech during the award ceremony, remembering her profound Peace Corps experience encouraging us to, "Serve. Serve. Serve." She will be missed by all who knew her at Antioch.

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