Obituary of Patricia L. Urban

Patricia Louise Urban (Pat), 86, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at St. Ann’s Community in Rochester. She had lived with Alzheimer’s Disease for many years. A wake will be held at Willard Scott Funeral Home (12 South Ave, Webster) on Tuesday, Feb. 4 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Trinity Church (1460 Ridge Rd., Webster) on Wednesday at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to Diocese of Rochester Catholic schools scholarship https://www.dorschools.org/scholarship or Heifer International ( https://www.heifer.org/ ). Pat touched much of the world on her path through life. Born in Minnesota, the daughter of Walter and Verna Melancon, and sister of Beverly Gangl, she grew up among a large extended family. The joy of boisterous family gatherings and the obligation to family were instilled early on and carried by Pat to her grave. When Pat and her husband, Richard Urban, left Minnesota to follow job opportunities, they committed to replacing that large, vibrant, extended family with their own. Their eight children provided plenty of noise and commotion and provided enough for two teams in many games, but Pat still cherished the memory of extended family gatherings. Care for family, both biological and the larger human family, was one of Pat’s strongest character traits. Until the death of her husband in 1977, the majority of Pat’s time was dedicated to the care of her immediate family. Bread baking, canning, cooking, mitten knitting, caring for and educating her eight children still left Pat time to volunteer regularly in Williamson’s Come-Unity Center and to host VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) workers. She was also an avid supporter of the Gatesinger and PCLOC performances at Gates Hall. Following Richard’s death, Pat went back to college and completed her teaching certifications. For the following 17 years she taught in a number of diocesan grade schools in the Rochester area and touched the lives of hundreds of students both in the classroom and in the school musicals which she directed. Through these years, her school kids replaced her own children who scattered across the country in pursuit of their own careers. Pat was always an active member of Holy Trinity parish, caring for her “church family” in any way she could – lector, prayer groups, Eucharistic Minister, Vacation Bible School leader, director of the Living Stations of the Cross and more. While still teaching and into early retirement, Pat became ever more active in community volunteer efforts – prison ministry, Hope House, food shelters, Cursillo retreats. She helped constructing paths and infrastructure in wildlife sanctuaries/ parks with the Sierra Club, and volunteered for two years as a parish assistant with the Lay Claretians in Perth Amboy, NJ. Her life was a testimonial to channeling God’s peace and love to the world around her. One of Pat’s teenage ambitions was to be an anthropologist. Family demands kept her from finishing that degree and pursuing that career. However, she never lost the love for travel and visiting far-off lands. Her children helped in this avocation; she hiked much of the Appalachian trail with them and eagerly visited them as they resided in far off states (California, Washington, Florida) and countries (Norway, Switzerland, Germany). Pat is survived by six of her children - David (Barbara Haskins) Urban, Michelle (George Ruppel) Urban, Noel (Judith Perlinger) Urban, Cynthia (Stephen) Barry, Timothy (Maggy Lu) Urban, Juanita (James) Urban-Rich; 15 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; nephews; nieces and cousins. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her sister, Beverly, her son, Stephen, and daughter, Suzanne. Her happy smile and helping hands will be remembered by all.