Patricia Prince

Patricia (Patsy or Pat) Mae Prince passed away on June 6th, 2019.

She was born on May 10th, 1933, in Palouse, Wash., to Frank Kuehner and Vera Crystal Wycoff Kuehner, the third of three children. Her early years were spent on her family's farm sharing in the chores,calling the cows in, alternately giggling with her sisters and learning to rely on her strong backbone, swimming in the creek, playing under the trees, skiing on skis made by her dad, gobbling up delicious pies made by her mom, and dreaming of being a cowboy.

Patsy credited her dad for her hard work ethic and her love of flowers and gardens. She honored her mom as her greatest teacher and the source of love and everything good. Patsy was 17 years old when she met the first love of her life while working as a hired hand for Katherine Pfaff. She married Harold Dale Pfaff on December 30th, 1950.

About five years later they moved to Farmington to the Pfaff family farm. They had four beautiful children together: Ricki Lee, Lonnie Lynn, Pamela Jo, and Johnny Frank. Patsy was a devoted and loving wife and mother. She appreciated hard work and also loved to have fun. She got a kick out of rearranging their home and deeply enjoyed proving to men that she could do anything they could do. Family traditions included "snipe" hunting, May Day flowers, and sleigh rides and caroling on Christmas.

She spent 22 years dutifully working the Pfaff family farm alongside her husband until he heartbreakingly lost his battle with cancer on June 10th, 1972. Two years later, Patsy was fortunate enough to fall in love again and married Eugene (Gene) Augustus Prince on January 6th, 1974. With this marriage, she gained two loving step-children: Stephen and Suzanne. She moved to the Prince family ranch in Thornton, Wash., and supported Gene in bringing in the harvest each summer as well as his career in politics in Olympia, Wash.

Patsy was the center of everything. She loved her family deeply and passionately and reveled in bringing everyone together for family meals and celebrations and harvest parties. She loved to watch her family grow and welcomed anyone in to her family with a big hug and a twinkle in her eye. Patsy had a huge heart for people and a love of hearing each person's story. She missed her family when she was away in Olympia, however, she had a knack for making friends and mastering new hobbies that would keep her busy. Patsy was an avid collector from dishes and irons to teddy bears and cruets. She absolutely adored being outside in the yard and thoroughly enjoyed the amazing earth of the Palouse; from strawberries and apples to big beautiful flowers and an immaculate lawn, she was an extremely proud farmer and gardener. She also loved to paint and write, and she was a wicked bowler! She and Gene both enjoyed traveling together.

After 33 years of marriage, Gene passed away on October 13th, 2007, while they were away on vacation in Sun River, Ore. Patsy could often be heard saying she was twice blessed to have two such wonderful and loving husbands. Patsy fought a long hard battle with Alzheimers, and she stayed strong and feisty to the very end. In her life, and in her death, she has taught us how to love, how to gather together and celebrate, and how to slow down, be patient, and enjoy this beautiful Earth that is our home. Her strength and her passion and her love are her gift and legacy to us all.

Patsy is survived by two children, Pam Patricio and Johnny Pfaff, and two step-children, Stephen Prince and Suzanne Davidson Hansen; 14 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her two husbands, Harold Pfaff and Eugene Prince; her two sons, Ricki Pfaff and Lonnie Pfaff; her grandson, Chad Engstrom; and her sister, Glenna LaZelle. A memorial service for Patsy will be held at Hennessey Valley Funeral Home in Spokane Valley at 3 p.m., with a celebration of life to follow at the Harvest House on Greenbluff at 5:30 p.m. on July 5th, 2019. Please RSVP to the Harvest House at kimberleebeck@gmail.com by July 1st. All are welcome.

If you feel called to donate in memory of Patsy, the family is asking donations be sent to Hospice of Spokane PO Box 2215, Spokane, Wash., 99210; please be sure to include a short note and who your donation is honoring. Hospice of Spokane would like to let the family know who gives in honor of their loved ones; however, they do not share the amount of your gift. To share condolences visit: http://www.hennesseyvalley.com.