Patricia L. Nelson

Patricia Nelson passed away peacefully on April 5th, Easter Sunday. Beloved by family and friends, Pat lived a full, interesting life. She was born in Los Angeles to Beatrice Leatha and Tony Nunamaker in 1938. At the age of two, she was welcomed to Bellingham with her brother Greg and her mother to live in her grandparents’ home. Her mother married Frank Pitsch and Greg and Patricia were adopted by him. In 1955, Pat married Chuck Day and they were blessed with four children, Kris (Mark) Katy, Tom (Sunantha), and Margaret. In 1977, she married Jerry Nelson and together they forged a loving family circle.

In her work career, outside of raising four kids, Pat was the Women’s Fitness Director at the YMCA, a home decorator, antique dealer, and a teacher at Whatcom Community College when it was a small building on Marine Drive. She then started leading tours on bicycles to Victoria, Hawaii, and all over Europe. Later, she led garden tours of England. She made friends wherever she went!

She worked as a volunteer at Church of the Assumption and was recently honored as Assumption School’s oldest alumni.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Greg Pitsch; and her loving husband, Jerry.

She leaves behind her four children; six grandchildren, Joe, Sarah (Zack), Towner, Jack, Maxwell, and Coco; and three great-grandchildren, Ole, Zachary, and Grant.

The family would like to thank The Bellingham at Orchard and Whatcom Hospice for their kind care. Donations in her name can be made to Whatcom Hospice Foundation, Old Dog Haven, and Church of the Assumption.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30am on Wednesday, April 22, at Church of the Assumption (2116 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham) with a reception following in the school gymnasium. She will be laid to rest at Greenacres Memorial Park in Ferndale.