- Date Of Death: June 29, 2010
- State: Michigan
Patricia Ann Potter McKenzie, of Swartz Creek, Michigan and formerly of Galien, passed away on June 27, 2010 of complications associated with Acute Pancreatitis.
Pat was born at and grew up on the Potter Family farm in Galien, Michigan. She graduated from Galien High School in 1953 and graduated as salutatorian from Nazareth College in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1957 with a baccaulareate degree in microbiology. Pat began her career as a clinical professional in 1957 as a phlebotomist in Flint, and retired in 1998 as Laboratory Director at Chelsea Community Hospital in Chelsea. In her career, she worked at several hospitals and private laboratories in the Flint area.
Pat married Edward McKenzie in 1958 and they had 5 children, all surviving: Kelly McKenzie (Laurie Wickes) of Swartz Creek, Julie (Stephen) Abedian of Columbus, Indiana, Rob (Janja Kreitmayer) McKenzie of Ljubljana, Slovenia, Tom (Lisa) McKenzie of Marquette, and Jane (Terry) Hussey of Bedford, New Hampshire. She also welcomed many neighborhood kids as her own, in particular Charlie Parmer, Stacy Weller, Cathy Rich, and Randy Kucharski.Pat was an extraordinary person, multifaceted and talented in many ways. She was accomplished at all forms of stitching (knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint and weaving.) She was deeply committed to social justice, having been very involved with the open housing movement in Flint in the 1960’s. Later, she became involved with the League of Women Voters.
She was an expert at crossword puzzles, always won at Scrabble and loved Nora Roberts romance novels. She was the mother every kid wants: always there, always encouraging, relaxed about rules but never afraid to raise her voice and bring the hammer down. She was at once the most old-fashioned grandmother (baking, canning, gardening) and yet at her core, she was a free thinker and a radical. She encouraged her children and grandchildren to do their best and be the people they wanted to be.
She never gave up on those she loved. In return, she was adored by everyone who knew her.After retirement, Pat loved traveling and spending extended periods of time with her grandchildren, Josh McKenzie, Alex and Andre Abedian, Luka McKenzie, Gretchen and Dawson McKenzie, Declan, Ian and Olivia Hussey. She enjoyed her weekly Lunch Bunch with her Flint friends, attending Bob Milne concerts and visiting nurseries with her siblings, working on genealogy projects, bird watching, and her annual reunions with her high school classmates.
She was an early adopter of computer technology, and always kept in touch with her immediate and extended family and friends. Pat is survived by her siblings Dorothy (LeRoy) Barnett of Grand Ledge, Jeanette (Jerry) Bensing of Minneapolis, Minnesota and John Potter of Galien, Michigan. Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Foster and Frances Potter.
