Patricia Williams

Patricia (Pat) M. Williams, 93, of Idaho Falls, passed away peacefully May 18, 2017, at Lincoln Court Retirement Facility.

Pat was born April 24,1924, in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1928 Gustave and Hannah Anderson adopted her. She was a 1942 graduate of the Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After working several clerical jobs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota area, Pat achieved her dream of going West by successfully obtaining a position as secretary with the E. I. DuPont DeNemours and Company at the Hanford Engineering Works in Pasco, Washington.

On June 16,1946, she married LaVerne (Verne) 0. Williams in Pasco, Washington, at the First Congregational Church. They lived in Pasco where Pat worked as a secretary for several businesses and taught typing and shorthand in the evenings at a vocational training school. In 1952 Pat, Verne and their young daughter Jeanne (born in 1949) moved to Spokane, Washington, where their second daughter Mary was born in 1952. Pat continued to work as a secretary until the family moved to Idaho Falls in 1959.

After enjoying a couple of years as a stay at home mom, Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, Sunday School teacher and school volunteer, Pat returned to the paid workforce in 1961, working as an executive secretary for various INL (and precursor agencies) managers until her retirement in 1989. In 1988 she was selected as DOE Employee of the Year by her fellow employees.

Pat enjoyed her family, friends, cooking and entertaining, boating, riding horses, travelling, and camper camping. She was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church for over fifty years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, LaVerne (Verne) O. Williams in 2016.

Pat is survived by her daughters, Jeanne Goodrich of Portland, Oregon and Mary (Dick) Schuman of Idaho Falls; two grand children, Jason (Suzanne) Schuman of Birmingham, Alabama and Kristy (Justin) Sommers of Idaho Falls, and six great grandchildren.

At her request, no funeral service will be held. A graveside service will be held 11 a.m. Monday, May 22, at Fielding Memorial Cemetery in Idaho Falls.

Graveside Services will be held