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Patricia (“Pat”) Jean Treutelaar (nee Graham) passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2025, at the age of 85. She lived a fiercely independent life until recently when her health declined more rapidly.
Born on December 18th, 1939, in Frankfort, Indiana, Pat was the second of four children. Due to her father’s engineering career, the family moved throughout the Midwest twenty-two times in her first nineteen years. Pat had high standards starting at an early age, starting her homework assignments over if she made a mistake. She graduated high school at seventeen, having skipped a year in grade school. While she originally wanted to be a doctor, the family could not afford it and she decided to become a dental hygienist. In fact, she won a scholarship to Marquette University’s dental school, and graduated in 1959. She found dental hygiene very satisfying and worked to put her first husband, a dashing Air Force Officer, through dental school. In 1961, she started the Dental School Wives’ Club, where the wives of dental students could take mini-classes to better understand their husbands’ profession.
Pat began working at age fifteen, and never stopped – working hard was in her DNA. She worked in family businesses during her two marriages, no less passionately than if there had been a paycheck. She was especially proud to design and show her own model home in her husband’s building business, Wisconsin General Contractors. She was a born salesperson since she was the very definition of an extrovert who never met a stranger. Later in life one of her favorite past-times was holding rummage sales.
Pat was a trailblazer. She was the youngest woman to have heart bypass surgery at age 34 in 1974, then later became the first woman to give birth after heart surgery. When her heart condition led her to be declared legally disabled and she could no longer manage a traditional work schedule, she began a thriving house, pet, and baby-sitting business. She was in great demand and at one point was a valued babysitter for thirteen families. She specialized in caring for disabled children as well as moving in to sit for kids when their parents were out of town.
Pat’s greatest joy was her family. Married to Frances Schmitz in 1960, Pat had her three beloved sons, Kenneth, Daniel, and Michael in the span of four years. She became a single working mother several years later. She was determined that her sons lead a full life that honored their gifts, and juggled work with their participation in scouts, music, church, and sports. When she met Robert Treutelaar, it was a case of opposites attracting. They married and she went on to have their daughter, Jennifer, in 1977. She then dedicated her life to raising her daughter and they remained close to her dying day. She was very proud that her four kids are happily married, went to college and beyond, and reached success in their careers.
Pat knew at a young age she preferred being outdoors. One of her favorite places was the family cabin at Forest Lodge in the northwoods of Wisconsin. She also heartily enjoyed her daughter’s career in the National Park Service and Forest Service because she got to visit the scenic wonders of the US. An adventurer at heart, she loved to travel and frequently visited friends and family in Ohio, Indiana, Arizona, and California, as well as many more locations. In her final years, she drew great pleasure from viewing the wild turkeys, songbirds, squirrels, and deer out her condo windows.
While she believed in love and devotion, her two marriages did not last. However she found true love late in life, and she and her boyfriend were as giddy as teenagers.
Pat found great comfort in her faith. She often referred to her “heavenly fathers”, including both God and her beloved dad who passed away in 1995. She has been a member of the Calvary Lutheran Church family since 1990. She loved to inspire people she met in daily life by sharing her story of faith and God’s role in her survival of severe heart disease at age 34.
Pat is survived by Kenneth (Eileen), Daniel (Michelle), and Michael (Barbara) Schmitz, and Jennifer (Dustin) Nelson. She is further survived by grandsons Justin, Brandon, and Andrew Schmitz and great-granddaughters Cora and Eva. Pat was loved by many other family members and friends near and far. She is predeceased by her parents, Jean Benadom and Dale Graham, and siblings Richard, Kathleen, and Sharon.
Visitation will be held at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1750 North Calhoun Road, Brookfield, Wisconsin on Friday, January 24, 2025 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with Funeral Service at 4:00 PM.
Pat was a proud volunteer and speaker for the American Heart Association, and memorials in her name may be directed to the American Heart Association.
Patricia (“Pat”) Jean Treutelaar (nee Graham) passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2025, at the age of 85. She lived a fiercely independent life until recently when her health declined more rapidly. Born on December 18th, 1939, in Frankfort, Indiana, Pat was the second of four children. Due to her father’s engineering career, the familyContinue Reading