Patty

Patricia Sue Linn, an artist, former reporter, thespian, singer, volunteer and 40-year resident of Brownsville and Halsey, died July 11 of Alzheimer's disease. She was 81.

Patty was born April 15, 1943, in Portland, Oregon, to Maxine Hooker and Jack Nicholas. She grew up in Lebanon along the Santiam River, attending Hamilton Creek Grade School and graduating from Lebanon High School. She received a Master of Science degree in biology from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology also from University of Oregon following field work studying the domestic versus community roles of peasant women in South America and East Africa.

Patty combined parenting and research while living in various states and countries. She lived in New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Maryland in addition to Oregon. She also lived for a time in Colombia, S. America and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya and Southern Sudan.

In the mid-valley, she was a reporter for The Times in Brownsville. She also worked as a licensed massage therapist and was a ceramics artist and Master Gardener. She ran a small farm and apothecary out of her Brownsville home. An active civil servant, she worked as an early responder with the Brownsville Rural Fire District and other local government positions and helped with multiple charity events.

Patty volunteered each year as an improvisational actor for "Carriage Me Back," Brownsville's annual historic reenactment event. She sang for the Sweet Adelines choral group in Eugene and was a cherished member of the water crew at the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta for 25 years, where she was known as "Water Priestess Patty."

She was active in St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Lebanon off and on all her life, participating in many church events and ministries and singing in the choir. She loved anything related to the arts. She had a costume ready for any role she played and was prone to breaking out in spontaneous songs she composed on the spot. Her heart extended to everything: people, animals and plants, reaching out with both love and practical care.

Patty was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, David Nicholas. She is survived by son Christopher Smith and his wife, Paula, of Georgia; son Alex Smith and his wife, Avive of Virginia daughter Angela Silverstine and her husband, Jason of Pennsylvania; husband James Bitle, stepdaughter Jaime Bitle of Oregon whom she met at the Cresswell Barn Dance in 1964, and nine grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Saturday August 24 at 11 am at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church and her ashes will be placed in the church’s Memorial Garden, followed by a reception. Later a meeting will be held at Brownsville Pioneer Park on the Calapoia River at 3:00 pm to share stories and celebrate her life. All are welcome!

Thanks go to Evergreen Hospice for their support and care in her last days.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 257 E. Milton Street, Lebanon, OR 97355; 541-451-1159; stmartinslebanon@gmail.com.