Patricia Ann Pitzel

Our beloved mother, grandmother, and GiGi, Patricia A. (Kasper) Pitzel, passed away peacefully on March 15, 2021, surrounded by her six children and many grandchildren. Viewing will be Thursday, March 18 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Johnston & Williams Funeral Home in Ellensburg.  Rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m. Thursday evening at St. Andrew's Catholic Church and Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 19 also at the church with vault interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery.

Mom was born to Lawrence and Dorothy (Bertram) Kasper in Grand Rapids, MN on October 5, 1942.  She grew up in nearby Nashwauk, Minnesota where she enjoyed riding horses, ice skating, and playing with her brothers and numerous cousins.  After graduating from Nashwauk High School in 1960, she worked at the hospital in nearby Hibbing, where she met our father, Dennis Pitzel.  They married in Nashwauk in 1962 and lived in Hibbing with their young children until 1973 when the family relocated to Washington State, first to Renton and then to Black Diamond.

Mom held various jobs, sometimes two or three at a time, while raising her six children.  Even when times were tough, there was always plenty of love (and good food) to go around.  Mom welcomed everyone who came to her door with a smile, a cup of Folgers, and her famous homemade baked goodies.

Mom was devoted to her children and her grandchildren, and was a fixture at our ballgames, concerts, and other events.  We could always count on our fierce Momma Bear to guide and protect us, and our family’s strength and resilience is her greatest legacy.

Mom moved to Central Washington in 2001, first to Yakima and finally to Ellensburg in 2016.  In her final years, she took delight in her flower gardens, teaching her children and grandchildren the family recipes, road trips to Leavenworth, Washington Coast and Minnesota, and “cutting a rug” at family weddings and parties.

Mom is survived by her children Lori (Tony) Moore, Wendy (Steve) King, Stephanie Pitzel, Dennis (Rachel) Pitzel, Erin (Todd) Uren, and Tracy Pitzel; grandchildren Krystal (Kyle) Thiessen, Ryan Moore, Joshua and Jacob King, Krieg (Shelby) Pitzel, Holly (Blake) Cordoza, Emily Pitzel, Amanda Sharp, Cheyenne, T.J., and Cole Uren; great-grandchild Charlotte Pitzel and honorary grandchildren Tyler Kruse, Braelyn Henderson and Joe Pumphrey.  Mom was preceded in death by her daughter, Lynn Renee; her parents, Lawrence and Dorothy Kasper; and her beloved grandparents, Henry and Katie Kasper.

Johnston & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory of Ellensburg was entrusted with Mom’s arrangements.  Online condolences may be left at www.johnston-williams.com

PLEASE NOTE: (January 11, 2024) -- The recording of this service has been archived and removed from our server.  If you wish to obtain a copy of this recording on a thumb drive, please contact our office.