Patsy Hotchkiss Reif, age 74, passed away at home, surrounded by her loving family, on Thursday, January 13, 2005 having battled stage 4 Melanoma for 9 years. Patty was born in Oshkosh on July 30, 1930 to the late George and Lois (Mosiman) Hotchkiss. At age 13 she began dating Herbert L. Reif, who shared her birthday. On April 3, 1954 Patty and Herb were married.
Prior to her marriage Patty attended UW-Oshkosh for a year, and also the Catherine Gibbs Secretarial School in Chicago for a year. Patty was devoted to her family. She was a meticulous housekeeper, and a very good cook and baker. She enjoyed caring for her flowers and garden. Patty and Herb traveled extensively, and in recent years she was devoted to Bible study.
Patty is survived by her beloved husband Herb Reif of Oshkosh; her daughters, Lynda (Thomas E.) Poeschl of Oshkosh, and Stephanie "Stevie" (Mark) Reich of Appleton. She is further survived by her grandchildren; Lisa, Christopher (Molly), and Lyndsay Poeschl, all of Oshkosh, and Carly and Andy Reich of Appleton; and sister-in-law, Elaine Hotchkiss of Oshkosh. Her brother, Fredrick "Fritz" Hotchkiss, preceded Patty in death.
Funeral services for Patty will be held at 1:00 P.M. on Saturday, January 15th, at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, 808 N. Main, the Reverend Joel Olsen officiating. Family and friends are invited to gather at the church from 11:00 A.M. until the time of the service. Inurnment will take place at Lake View Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made for Melanoma research to the UW Cancer Center, 600 Highland, Room K4-659, Madison, WI, 53792. Please include "Patsy L. Reif" on the memo line.
Gone from My Sight
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"
And that is dying.
Henry Van Dyke
Seefeld Funeral andCremation Services
www.seefeldfuneral.com
(920) 236-7750