Obituary, Patricia "Pat" Lee Walden (Ray), 58

Patricia "Pat" Lee Walden (Ray) of Sedro-Woolley, Wash., died suddenly on Thursday, July 24, 2014, in Mount Vernon, Wash.

Pat was the first of three children born to Lee Ray and Shirley Menne. She was born on August 28, 1955 in Redding, Calif.

Pat grew up in the Concrete and Newhalem area of Washington State and graduated from Concrete High School in 1973.

In 1978, Pat married Douglas Lawrenson of Burlington, Wash. During their marriage they had three children. At the time of their marriage, Pat worked as a waitress at the Gateway Restaurant in Sedro-Woolley.

In 1986, Pat and her family moved to Hobart Bay, Alaska. While living there, Pat worked for Pacific Wings and Channel Aviation as ground control for small floatplanes delivering people and supplies to the small logging community.

In 1989, Pat and her children moved to Petersburg, Alaska where she worked as an aviation dispatcher for the United States Forest Service. Pat excelled in her role as an aviation dispatcher, managing resources and dispatching aid to many remote locations in Southeast Alaska. Pat received national recognition for her work in the Tongass National Forest and was honored with a Presidential Citation, presented to her in Washington, D.C.

In 1999, Pat married her current husband, James "Jim" Walden of Petersburg. Upon his retirement from the Petersburg School District, Jim and Pat maintained a home in Petersburg but spent most of their time abroad, exploring the country in their motorhome.

During her life, Pat had an unrivaled passion for the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and found peace and serenity in the unspoiled beauty of nature. Pat could spend hours contentedly strolling an uninhabited beach, scouring kelp beds for hidden treasures and marveling at the beauty of a humpback whale breaching in the distance.

Pat also had a love of animals and her dream was to have a small hobby farm on the upper Skagit River, where she could spend time with children and care for animals.

Pat was preceded in death by her beloved grandparents Gus and Doris Menne.

Pat is survived by her husband, Jim Walden; her children and their spouses, Brandon and Amy Lawrenson, Cory and Jennifer Lawrenson, and Natalie and Gale Ensley; grandchildren, Aidan Lawrenson, Logan Ensley, Conor Lawrenson, Landon Crabtree and Lillian Lawrenson; parents, Lee Ray and Shirley Menne; sister, Pamela Strait; brother, Bryan Ray and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends whose lives she touched during her time here as well as her good friends, Fanshaw and Whitney, who accompanied her on so many adventures.

In accordance with her wishes, a private viewing was held for family on July 28 with no formal service. Pat was cremated and her remains will be scattered in the places that were special to her. In lieu of flowers, online donations can be made to American Humane Association in the name of Patricia Walden.

Share memories of Pat and sign the online guest register at http://www.lemleychapel.com