Patricia Klipsch Swanke

Patricia was a widow, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  She passed April 22nd from complications of Alzheimer’s at Lincoln Meadows Senior Community (Memory Care) Parker, Colorado.

She is survived by her children, Michelle Vallow of Colorado, Cynthia Kaye of Georgia, and John Klipsch of Maryland, as well as six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Born in Easton, Maryland, in 1932, six years later the family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she and her brother, Grant, were raised by their mother, Helen Bildstein. She was educated at St. Benedict’s Elementary and Seton High School.

In the late 1950’s and 1960’s, Patricia found herself a single mother of three young children.  She supported them working as an accounting clerk for Westinghouse and sewing the costumes for The Cynthia Krug Wagner Dance Academy.  She made certain that they had a good educational foundation and work ethic to go out and face the world.

As the children grew, Patricia started to participate in activities for herself with family and friends; a weekly bowling league, becoming a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion, and later as a member of the Colt’s Corral.

It was at the American Legion Patricia was introduced to the love of her life, John Swanke.  They married and had many loving years together, which included not only welcoming grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but also working together turning a summer cottage into a home. (The table saw was a permanent fixture in the living room for several years.)

As life would have it, Patricia found herself unemployed after almost 30 years when Westinghouse closed the plant.  But, in her get it done way, she went to college and became a paralegal, where she then worked with Cawood Law Firm in Annapolis, Maryland.

John passed in 1993, but Patricia continued living in the home they had restored in Severna Park, Maryland, until 1999, when she moved to Aurora, Colorado.  Once again, that get it done spirit of hers came shining through, going to work for the Cherry Creek School District working on grants.

This is just a small snapshot into the life of this formidable woman.  To really understand her amazing impact on the world, look no further than the living legacy of her family; business professionals, medical professionals, an aerospace engineer, entrepreneurs, students, and loving parents.

She will always be loved.