- Date Of Birth: April 19, 1938
- Date Of Death: July 31, 2022
- State: Arizona
Patricia Ann (Bjerkaas) Tuttle, loving mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and community member, passed away on July 31, 2022.
Patricia (Pat) was born on April 19, 1938 to parents Philip and Muriel (Vangstad) Bjerkaas, in a farmhouse in Osakis, MN. She grew up in rural Minnesota and also lived for a time in Arizona and Montana. In 1956, she graduated from Eagle Bend High School in Eagle Bend, MN. Pat worked in Minneapolis before moving to Aurora, NY, where she became a secretary at Wells College. There, she met her beloved husband, Roy Tuttle, through her future sister-in-law, Jeanne. They married in 1961, having their first child, Loren, in 1962. Pat became a business partner with Roy in his construction company, forming Ropat Enterprises. In raising their children, Pat instilled the importance of familial connection, building a sense of extended family, including everyone from great grandparents to second cousins.
In addition to her work as a mother and wife, and her role in Ropat Enterprises, Pat was an active member of her community. During her life, she created a number of ‘second families’ through her ability to build long-lasting connections with those around her.
Pat was preceded in death by her father and mother, husband Roy, and brother Richard Dean Bjerkaas. She is survived by her children, Loren Tuttle of Seattle, WA, Beth (Gary) Maschoff of Woodbury, MN, and Lynn Tuttle (Leslie Linn) of Sterling, VA; grandchildren Landon and Peterson Linn; siblings Ruth (Ron) Jelinek of Prescott Valley, AZ, Audrey (Doug) Suker of Edina MN, and Myron (Cindy) Bjerkaas of Alexandria MN; sister-in-law Sharon Bjerkaas of Rochester, MN; and an extended family of friends in the Fountain Hills area.
