Patsy Marie (Nelson) McCabe of Rochester, Wash., passed away Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. She was a longtime resident of Galvin, Wash.
Pat was preceded by her husband, Hugh McCabe; sister, Susann Jane (Nelson) LaHmon Morrison; longtime Hoquiam resident.
She is survived by her children; grandchildren; and sister-in law, Eileen (McCabe) Shale-Eastburn of Hoquiam, Wash.
Pat was born Feb. 14, 1931. She was raised in Aberdeen, Wash., by her maternal grandmother, Susan Fairweather (Young) Osler, with help from her uncle, Duncan Alexander Osler. She was a child of the Great Depression. As a three week old baby, she was dropped off by her parents at her grandmother’s house before they headed to California to look for work. Pat didn’t see her parents again until she was 16. Her grandmother had very strict rules for Pat and expected Pat to help out as much as she could, including babysitting and turning over the proceeds to help the household. Pat liked to talk about growing up in Grays Harbor during World War II, and had many stories about the blackout curtains and extensive troop convoys that came through the area. The convoys would run pretty much nonstop. There was great concern that the West Coast would be attacked by the Japanese. If an attack came during the school day, there would be no time to get the children home. All of the kids were fingerprinted, and Pat had a routing slip with the name and address of a non-local relative stitched into her dress.
On June 17, 1951, she married the love of her life, Hugh Wilbur McCabe. Hugh grew up in logging camps near Hoquiam and was a WWII veteran, having enlisted in the United States Navy before his 18th birthday. Their union produced four children, Michael McCabe, who lives in Rochester with his wife, Susan Duncan McCabe, who lives in Wilmington, N.C., with his wife, Laura Gail Baldwin, who lives in Burien, Wash., with her husband, Jim and Daniel McCabe, who lives in Walkersville, Md., with his wife, Amy Jo. She also has six grandchildren, Christopher McCabe, Matthew McCabe, John Baldwin, Amy Baldwin, Robert McCabe and Kendrick McCabe.
Pat and Hugh lived in Quinault, Lopez Island and Galvin. They both worked as teachers and Pat also worked as a school librarian. Hugh retired from the Oakville School District in 1980, while Pat retired from the Centralia School District in 1986.
Hugh and Pat enjoyed traveling. In the summer, they would take cross-country camping vacations with their children, including driving trips to Maine, Florida and the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. After their retirement, Pat and Hugh continued to have many travel adventures together. They walked along the Great Wall of China and rode up the side of a cliff in Thailand in a basket perched upon the back of an elephant. They also especially enjoyed exploring Australia and Great Britain with their hosts and fellow members of the Friendship Force, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote understanding across cultures through travel.
Pat and Hugh were very involved in Masonic organizations and especially enjoyed the comradery of the Order of the Eastern Star, serving as Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron. They also supported their children’s activities in Rainbow Girls, Job’s Daughters and DeMolay.
Pat will be joining Hugh at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Wash. The interment will be private and her family plans to arrange a remembrance of Pat at a later date. Please leave memories at www.FuneralAlternatives.org.
