Patricia Yates
Patricia Ann Yates passed away peacefully in Melbourne, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. A longtime resident of Butler, Pat spent the last 10 years at home in the Sunshine State, living happily in a private golf course community, alongside the first fairway, 200 feet from the green, close by her sunroom and back patio. She didn’t play golf. Instead, she walked down to the clubhouse, where she swam in the outdoor pool and excelled at Aquacize.
It was a long way from Allison Park, where Pat was born on June 28, 1936, to Twight and Louise Geisler, the fifth of six children. She grew up during the Depression and World War II, in a home beside the railroad tracks, with chickens and the occasional pig her father raised in the backyard, next to the creek, minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. Different times.
Pat was a cheerleader and multisport athlete at Hampton High School, and went off to attend Slippery Rock State Teachers College in 1954. She was the first in her family to advance to college, and it was here that she met Joe Yates from Carrick, Pa., the man of her dreams. Joe joined the Marines at Slippery Rock, and entered the officers candidate program, becoming a first lieutenant.
They were married in Allison Park in 1958, during senior year. The newlyweds then set off to start a family, moving from base to base around the American Southland, while Joe earned his pay as a pilot. They had three children, Tracy, Lori and Chris, and shared a happy five years together, but their adventure was short-lived. Capt. Joseph Yates was killed in the line of duty in April 1964, when the transport plane he was piloting caught fire and crashed at Cherry Point, N.C., minutes after takeoff. Pat was 27.
Soon after, Pat moved with her three young children to Butler, where she lived for the next 50 years in her home on Elizabeth Drive. Pat was a single, working mother and, knowing no better, raised her three latchkey children before the term was coined. She managed to provide them with an idyllic childhood anyhow, on the edge of suburbia, before the woods and fields began again.
Pat coached swimming at the YMCA and Penn Valley, and held other jobs over the years, before finishing her final posting as a domestic nanny, caring for two growing children. She loved children. She retired from working in 2002.
An avid sports fan, she also loved the Golden Tornado, Steelers and Pirates, and was a longtime, season ticket holder at Beaver Stadium. A religious Nittany Lion football fan, she also supported the Lady Lion Swim Team.
Pat never remarried, but there were many men in her life, among them Coach John F. McLaughlin, Chuck Noll, Joe Paterno, Willie Stargell, Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. She was a diligent gardener, and enjoyed nothing more than working outside in her well-kept yard, even after she managed to lose part of a finger in a mysterious lawn mowing accident.
Pat was a dog person, and raised a succession of Westies over the decades, almost until the end of her life. She enjoyed the changing seasons of Western Pennsylvania, and made good use of her fireplace. There was usually a fire going in her family room most evenings, weather permitting.
She was a book lover, and was always reading at least one, with a puzzle working on her puzzle table. Pat liked to be on the move, and enjoyed traveling and engaging with the world, in her fashion. She loved the holiday season, especially Christmas, and knew how to fill a home with holiday spirit and joy, creating many fond memories over many years. It is widely known that Pat baked the world’s best apple pies, and those who are lucky enough, can attest to her magical powers.
Patricia Yates was outgoing, generous and good-hearted. She was a good neighbor, who tried to do her best, as best she could. She was a strong woman, and her brave, good-natured soul carried her through the many challenges in her life. Her loving spirit will be missed by her family and friends.
Pat is survived by her children and grandchildren, Tracy Yates and her husband, James Lacey, Loree Dulin, Chris Yates, Tara Hurt and Katie Meadows.
Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.
