- State: Indiana
Patricia was born in Mentone, Indiana, to Margaret and Merle Shunk, and lived on a farm with her parents, her Aunt Helen, and her Uncle Wayne. Her immediate family moved to South Bend, Indiana, when she was 5, where she attended Holy Cross Elementary School and later St Joseph High School. Patricia married Charles Bashaw in 1963, and raised 3 sons, Matthew (Kerin), Andrew (Sharon), and Patrick, mostly in South Bend.
Patricia was very active in the community and Holy Cross Parish, in South Bend. She tutored students at Muessel School under the Title I program, and she was an art instructor at Holy Cross. She also helped start the Tiny Seed program for preschoolers at Holy Cross, which provided a learning environment on Sundays.
Patricia was an avid artist and among her many projects made colorful banners for display during mass at Holy Cross. She also participated in community art programs, including the St Joseph County Watercolor Society, the Leeper Park Art Fair, the fire hydrant bicentennial art program, and church bizarres Patricia attained an associate degree in graphic arts from Ivy Tech. She later worked in the admissions office at Memorial Hospital.
Patricia and her husband Charles were married for 58 years. They retired in Harvest Pointe, in South Bend, and later lived in Hamilton Grove, in New Carlisle.
Patricia is survived by her husband, 3 sons, 4 grandchildren (Collin, Sean, Faythe, Camden), 6 siblings (Mary Weiss, Kathleen Mitchell, Barbara Woodward, Joseph Shunk, Joan Makielski, Christine Teske), and an untold number of extended family members and friends.
