Patricia Lantzy (Pat), lived a life that she never would have envisioned when she was growing up in Bay City, Michigan in the 1930s.
Born Patricia Lou Pilon, and raised Catholic, she graduated from St Joe’s High School, and lived for a while in Washington, DC doing clerical work for the FBI. Her overly protective brother was serving in the Navy during Korea and didn’t like the man she was dating, so he brought home a buddy from the USS Saipan to meet her. His name was John Carlson. They soon married and eventually moved to West Seattle just before the 1962 World’s Fair. He was a cop; she worked at Boeing while raising a family. She went back to work in the 70’s at a pair of insurance companies and spent the last 20 years of her career as office administrator for King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. Pat loved the people there, and was popular with staff and councilmembers on all sides of the political aisle, working well into her 80’s. That would have surprised her parents, who didn’t live past their mid-60’s.
Growing up in the depression and WWII made Pat self-reliant and independent. She was predeceased by her former husbands, and lived for many years alone, but surrounded by friends and family, hosting some 60 Thanksgiving dinners. In her last eight years, her eldest daughter Linda moved in with her so she could remain at home.
And what a wonderfully droll sense of humor she had. When asked if she would be attending the baptism of a close relative who kept swinging and missing on religion well into her 40s, she deadpanned, “Not this time. I went to the first three.” On her deathbed when we asked if there were any other relatives or old friends she wanted to talk to, she smiled and said as sweetly as possible, “No, they’re all dead.”
Before leaving, Pat reminded us about what makes a Happy Life: Surround yourself with love to and from God, your family, your friends (the family you choose), the people you work with, and those who need a hug. When her kids were grown, she would still go toy shopping every year but she would donate them to the Salvation Army toy drive. She did that until 2022, when she was 89. Pat loved life but Heaven was calling. She told us so.
How lucky we were to have been in her wonderful life. She was preceded in death by her four brothers; husbands John Carlson and William Lantzy; daughter Bev, and daughter-in-law Robin Lantzy.
Survivors include daughter Linda French; and sons John Carlson (Lisa) and Bill Lantzy (Roberta); the three Lantzy girls she helped raise, Sue Lantzy, Jane Lewis and Patty Walton; grandsons Matthew and Drew Carlson, James Lynch, and granddaughters Lauren Lantzy and Alyssa Lantzy. Plus two bonus grandsons, Derek Brataan and Ben Lucas.
Pat’s funeral Mass will be at Sacred Heart Parish in Bellevue/Clyde Hill on Friday, January 10 at 11:00 AM.
Of course you’re invited.
