Patricia Therkildsen

THERKILDSEN, PATRICIA ANN (nee THOMSEN) age 88 of Woodstown, New Jersey, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, April 14, 2021 in her daughter & son-in-law's home in NJ. Born in Aurora, Illinois on October 15, 1932, the sixth child of seven of the late Carl Thomsen & Helga (Stiehl) Thomsen, she graduated from Kalamazoo Central in 1950. She worked for Michigan Bell Telephone Company where she was their first female supervisor. She also had various other careers before jointly owning and retiring from Jet Transit. Upon retirement, she enjoyed sharing her time between Klines Resort in Three Rivers, MI and Serendipity in Fort Myers, Florida. She treasured her time with family and loved weekends at the lake, camping trips with softball games, cross country road trips, family reunions, canoe trips, and having a euchre tournament during a blizzard. She loved watching her grandchildren's school and sporting events. She was a Candy Striper for Bronson Hospital, a Hospice volunteer, and volunteered in numerous activities at both Serendipity and Klines Resort and churches she attended. She was also a member of the Red Hat Society. She had a zest for life and loved to travel and spend time with friends. She loved to play cards, go on outings, and attend plays, shows, concerts, and sporting events. Frank Sinatra once sang "Happy Birthday" to her at one of his concerts. She both taught and took dance classes and loved laughing with friends. Patricia is survived by her children, Michael and Nancy Reese, Kathy Reese and her husband, Michael Hailey, Anita and Dave Zastrow, Terry and Connie Therkildsen, Lyn Escobar, Dave and Nancy Therkildsen, and Char Rusk; seventeen grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, James E. Therkildsen, all of her siblings, and her great-grandson, Rome Bliss. Private graveside services will be held at a later date in Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, MI. Please visit htlayton.com to leave a note of condolence to her family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund, 1385 Chews Landing, Laurel Springs, NJ 08021-2760 or heartlandhospice.com