May 4, 1943 – February 20, 2022
Marianne Patnode died peacefully on Sunday, February 20, 2022. Marianne was born to Geneieve Colgan Ruef and Benjamin Edward Ruef on May 4, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska. After the conclusion of WWII, the family moved to San Diego, CA where Marianne attended St. John of the Cross Elementary School and high school at the Convent of the Sacred Heart School for Girls. There, as valedictorian, she graduated with highest honors in 1961. After high school, she attended Seattle University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree, but not before meeting her husband to be, Dave Patnode.
She spent a summer working as a waitress at the Black Forest Inn in the mountains near Denver and then began a long and celebrated teaching career at Lakewood Junior High in Lakewood, CO. More importantly, it was in Denver where she became engaged to 2nd Lt. Dave Patnode. After completing one year of teaching in Lakewood, Marianne and Dave married on July 7, 1967 in San Diego and moved to Seattle. Once there, they pursued careers in teaching and banking and began their family; a family that would eventually include one daughter (Elizabeth) and three sons (Timothy, Brian and Stephen).
After her mother died, Marianne assumed primary responsibility for her younger sister Kathy who was born with Down syndrome. Marianne taught Language Arts, first at Washington Junior High in Seattle. In 1973, Dave and Marianne moved to Auburn where she continued teaching at Olympic Junior High and then at Auburn High School where she served as department chair. A caring and highly qualified teacher and published educational author, her classroom was an academically challenging yet welcoming place where she touched the lives of countless young people. Marianne positively motivated the lives, not only of her students, but of all those she knew. She had the ability to listen and listen well. It was this ability, combined with her compassion, generosity and optimism, that had such a profound effect on so many people. Family focused, Marianne relished in remembering the birthdays, graduations and celebrations of all her children, siblings, grandchildren, nephews and nieces. She was THE pivotal person around whom the Patnode and Ruef families revolved, going to great lengths to enable family get- togethers in Auburn, Treasure Island or wherever family members were gathering. She loved cooking meals “from scratch” and used these “everyday activities” to include and teach her kids and grandkids. She had a natural gift for creating adventures for her children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces by simply reading to them or by creating fun backyard activities. A prolific reader, and lover of flowers, she stayed fit and flexible by doing yoga. In the words of her kids, “Marianne is a hard act to follow”. Irreplaceable, she will be sorely missed.
Predeceased by her younger sister Kathy, Marianne is survived by her husband of fifty-four years, Dave; her children Timothy (Debbe), Elizabeth, Brian (Katie), and Stephen (Erin) Patnode; her grandchildren Kingston and Poet (Patnode) Cotter and Braden, Maxwell, Samuel, and Finley Patnode; her siblings Michael (Katharina), Timothy (Susan), and Christopher (Vicki) Ruef and her nephews and nieces, Josef Ruef, Gregory Ruef, Kimberly (Ruef) Lane, and Sophia and Juliana Ruef.
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The funeral mass will be held on Friday, March 18, 2022 at 11:00 am, preceded by the Rosary at 10:30 am. Reception will follow in the Holy Family Catholic Church Hall, 505 17th Street, SE, Auburn, WA 98002.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Noah Homes Inc., the non-profit home for adults with disabilities where her sister Kathy lived.
Noah Homes, Inc., 12526 Campo Road, Spring Valley, CA 92078 (619)
