Patricia Kay (McGrath) Nelsen

Patricia Kay (McGrath) Nelsen, 83, passed away on September 10, 2026, in Helena, Montana.

Patricia was born on April 23, 1943, in Spokane, Washington, to Robert and Marjorie McGrath, and was the oldest of four children. She attended Catholic school, studied piano, and graduated in 1961 as a member of the inaugural class of Shadle Park High School. She later attended Washington State University and Gonzaga University.

Patricia married her high school sweetheart, John, after keeping in touch through letters during his service in the Air Force, and together they started a family. Over the years, life took them to Kentucky and California before they settled in Coulee Dam, Washington. Patricia worked as a librarian and a teacher, spent years at home raising her children, and later returned to work as a draftsman at Grand Coulee Dam. In 2004, she moved to Deer Park, Washington, and in 2014, she made her final move to Helena, Montana.

Family remained at the center of Patricia's life. Her care was expressed in the steady, thoughtful gestures that marked the years: remembering birthdays, making long drives to visit, baking cookies and pies from scratch, and taking time for phone calls that never felt rushed. To her grandchildren, she was known simply and lovingly as "Grandma Pat."

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Marjorie McGrath, and by John Nelsen. She is survived by her siblings, Jim (Linda) McGrath of Spokane, Washington, Barbara (Pete) Karlsen, and Marlene (Blake) Emch; her children, Kirsten (Brett) Schneidmiller and Michael (Ingrid) of Helena, Montana; six grandchildren, Kristopher (Shauna) Schneidmiller, Kyara, Sierra (Taylor) Kamitomo, Jobe, Drake, and Liam; and four great-grandchildren, Jaxon, Barrett, Krew, and Elliot.

She will be forever loved, deeply missed, and never forgotten.