Obituary of Patricia Garrett Bomash

Devoted wife, mother and friend

Patricia Garrett Bomash, 81, died Friday, May 17, at her Minneapolis home, peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones.

Pattye was born April 14, 1943 in Wharton, TX, to Isaac and Patricia Garrett. A southerner until the end, she never quite got over her Yankee children, despite living in Minneapolis for almost 60 years.

Pattye attended Monticello Junior College, graduating in the spring of 1963, and then matriculated to Knox College, where she met her beloved husband William “Bill” Bomash. She graduated from Knox in 1965, with a degree in English, and proceeded to move with Bill to Minneapolis, where she pursued her second Bachelor’s Degree from University of Minnesota and obtained her teaching license. Pattye taught elementary school in Minneapolis Public Schools for 30 years, focusing mostly on remedial reading and math. She retired in 1998, after both of their daughters, Leah and Kari, had left home for college.

Pattye had an avid sense of adventure, travelling to and living in Copenhagen, Denmark with Bill for extended periods of time through the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was always interested in meeting new people, trying new foods, travelling to new locations and creating new things. Her sense of humor and outgoing and sunny disposition drew everyone to her, and everywhere she went she found new best friends. To know Pattye was to be her friend, and to be her friend was to be loved by her.

Pattye was also constantly creating things. She was wonderfully creative and a skilled crafts person, always looking to pick up additional handwork skills. She had a passion for sewing and weaving. She often made clothes for herself and her family. After her retirement she picked up stained glass, quickly winning awards at the Minnesota State Fair for her work. She also made jewelry, gardened, and would occasionally decide to recover furniture. Most of all Pattye loved to travel with her family and loved ones. Although she travelled her entire life, after her cancer diagnosis ten years ago, she was determined to pack as much adventure in as possible, traveling to 6 different continents with her family. Each trip was her “favorite” as she explored new places, new people, new foods, and different ways of living.

Pattye is survived by her husband, William Bomash, her children, Leah (Bomash) Kelly and Kari Bomash, her son-in-law Ryan Kelly, her grandson, William Kelly, and her many many friends. She is remembered as a force of nature, who brought laughter, joy and strength to everyone around her.

A memorial service will be held at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, on Friday, August 9, 2024 from 1:00 - 3:00PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Masonic Cancer Center, Habitat for Humanity, or Planned Parenthood of the North Central States.