OBITUARY: Patsy Marie (Trask) Ross, 1930-2021 | Lost Shore Outpost

Blessed with a long and healthy life, Patsy passed away after a brief illness on October 2, 2021; only 16 days before her 91st birthday. Patsy was born on October 18, 1930 in Bellfountain, Oregon, to Delmar Larkin and Rowena Redmond. Her family owned a small dairy farm where Patsy and her brother had to milk the cows in the mornings and after they returned from school. She spent her elementary school in a rural one-room schoolhouse and later attended Monroe High School.

In 1946, at the age of 16, Patsy married Toby Trask. Together they built a small house and barn on a few acres in Monroe, Oregon, and started their growing family. They had four children – Tim, Suzanne, Shelby, and Del. Patsy had several jobs and was a housewife.

When I was raising a family in the Willamette Valley, it was common to work in the fields during harvest time. She and her children picked products together most of the summers. Patsy also worked as a grocer at K&D Market and eventually retired as an assistant for Monroe Elementary School. But, as she always said, her favorite Wednesday night hobby was cleaning the house for her dear friends Dave and Carole Hull. She usually visited and joked more than she cleaned up, and they either cooked her dinner or invited her to go out with them. We can see why she prefers this little sideline. Dave and Carole were much more like family and treated them accordingly.

Patsy loved sports and had a very competitive mind. During her school days she played in several teams. Eventually she joined a bowling team and immediately proudly topped a 300 game. She looked forward to their weekly games and the friendships they made possible. Given the choice, she would rather watch a sports game on TV than anything else. She loved her soccer games and definitely had her favorites. Go ducks!

Although she didn’t play often, when the mood was right she would sit down and hammer a jazzy tune on the old piano. But just as quickly as she sat down, she jumped up again, pretended to swirl her short hair, and sauntered off as cheekily as possible. It always made us smile which exactly was the reaction she was looking for.

Patsy loved to dance and every Saturday night Toby had a date with the Eagles in Corvallis. A live band, lots of friends and a few cocktails always ensured a good mood and great memories.

In 1993 Patsy lost Toby after 47 years of marriage. She was taken to the arms of friends and family while on a specific excursion she was introduced to a man named Frank Ross. In 1994 Patsy and Frank got married after a brief courtship. Frank was fun and showed Pasty the carefree, withdrawn side of life. She moved to his home in Vancouver, Washington, and put her touch on it. She soon got close to her stepdaughter Cheryel, who had welcomed her into her family with open arms. Patsy enjoyed this new phase of life to the full. They spent many weekends with friends on their beachfront property on the coast. Visit, have mussels, have a glass or three of wine and really have a great time. On other weekends, she and friends went looking for flea market treasures. She loved the hunt!

After a few years, Frank persuaded Patsy to move to California to be closer to her family. But in reality Frank had found out he was sick and didn’t want to worry or bother her. They bought a nice house in Eureka and withdrew the lock, warehouse and barrel. Our family will always be grateful to Frank for this selfless act. He really loved her and took care of her.

At home, Patsy was proud of her garden and kept an immaculate garden. She would even state that she mowed her lawn in a diagonal pattern that resembled the professional cut on a baseball field.

Always active, Patsy took care of her own lawn and even bowled weekly into her 80s. She could cook a meal from scratch better than most, and her homemade yeast rolls are missed and cannot be reproduced by those of us who are left. Believe us, we tried.

Patsy preceded her parents, husbands Toby Trask and Frank Ross, in death; Brothers Jim and Marlin (Mike) Larkin; Children, Tim Trask, Shelby Peters and Suzanne Kruger and grandson Scott Wagle. She is survived by her son Del Trask and her wife Candice; Son-in-law John Kruger; and stepdaughter Cheryel Ray (Terri); Sister-in-law Liz Larkin; Nephews Daniel Larkin (Dianne) and Jeff Larkin and niece Jan Belarde (George); Grandson Shane Wagle; Granddaughters Lacey Jensen (Tyler), Cortney Cole (Kyle); and great-grandson Waylon Cole. Special thanks go to their neighbors Dan and Margie Flanagan, your kindness gave me a few more years of independence.

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The above obituary was filed on behalf of loved ones by Patsy Ross. The Lost Coast Outpost offers free obituaries from Humboldt Counties. See guidelines here.