Patricia Gail von Bargen

Patricia Gail von Bargen

Patricia Gail von Bargen, age 91, passed away June 19, 2012 at Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell.

Patti was born to Charles Alphonse Beaudet and Laura Amanda Miller on Sept. 30, 1920 in Grand Rapids, Minn. After three years of college in Minnesota, in 1941 Patti earned her Registered Medical Record Librarian Certificate in Chicago. She then studied sociology at USC in Los Angeles, Calif., while working at the Queen of Angels Hospital and Plxweve Aircraft Company.

Patti wanted to marry and live on a farm, so in 1944, while visiting San Francisco, she advertised for employment in the Cattlemen’s Newspaper. She was hired as secretary-bookkeeper for the Humphrey Estates Ranch in Pescadero, just south along the coast.  While there, Patti met Clyde von Bargen, and on March 3, 1945 they were married in nearby Santa Cruz.

She and Clyde moved to Palo Alto in the Bay Area where during the years 1947 to 1959 their four children were born:  Larry, Eric, Philip and Cynthia. In 1961, the family relocated to Santa Cruz where Patti worked in records management at UC Santa Cruz and volunteered as a Girl Scout leader.  After her 1973 graduation from UCSC with honors in Sociology, Patti became Research Director for the Private Revitalization of Downtown (PROD) Santa Cruz. She was principal writer of a PROD publication that HUD distributed to 300 U.S. cities.

Patti and Clyde loved the outdoors, taking the family camping across the West. Numerous family backpacking trips were undertaken after Patti’s first such venture to Mt. Whitney with her eldest son.

In 1974, Patti and Clyde retired to Kalispell where Patti continued her work in community development as first Project Coordinator for the Kalispell Redevelopment Corp., co-writing the Flathead County Overall Economic Development Plan. In 1979, she became a fellow in the Kellogg Extension Education Project which sought to increase understanding of public problems and policies and was also among directors of the Montana Leadership Development Program. Patti became an ambassador for Friendship Force International and traveled with Clyde as representatives of the organization to Korea and Russia.

They built a home on the shore of Flathead Lake near Rollins and Dayton.  Patti was appointed to the Lake County sign ordinance committee, served on the Lake County Park Board and the Upper West Shore School District School Board, and was part of the tutoring program at Dayton Elementary School.

After Clyde’s passing in 2005, Patti enjoyed playing bridge with friends in Kalispell and Polson and was a member of the Rollins Women’s Club. She enjoyed golf, scoring a hole in one the day after her 84th birthday.

She was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Bernice, Richard, David, Raymond, her husband Clyde and son Eric. She is survived by two sons, Larry (and his wife Sally), Philip (and his wife Amelia), and her daughter Cynthia, grandchildren Gretel, Daniel, Colleen, and Meaghan, and great-grandchild Carrick.

Her family fondly remembers her adventurous ways, strong work ethic, terrific sense of humor and commitment to family values. Her advice to all was simple and profound: “Each day is special – cherish each one.”

Private graveside services were held June 22 at Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell where Patti was laid to rest next to Clyde.