Patricia Van Steenhuyse

PATRICIA VAN STEENHUYSE Cedar Rapids Patricia Van Steenhuyse, 79, died peacefully March 24, 2015, at The Woodlands at The Meth-Wick Community. Funeral Mass: 10 a.m. Monday, March 30, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Cedar Rapids, by the Rev. Ivan Nienhaus. Visitation: 4 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids. Inurnment: 3:30 p.m. Monday at Oak Hill Cemetery, Belle Plaine. Survivors include her husband, John; children, Kim (Dan) Loudermilk of Atlanta, Ga., Steve (Virginia) Van Steenhuyse of Mason City, Sherri (Bob) Lanik of Houston, Texas, and Beth (David) Tessier of Bella Vista, Ark.; seven grandchildren, Mariah and Elliott Althoff, Michael, Evan, Maggie, Liz and Joe Van Steenhuyse; two stepgranddaughters, Annie Clare and Emma Tessier; two sisters, Maybeth Gilliam and Anne Baker Thomas; and special cousin, Carol Kuhl. Pat was born March 8, 1936, in Russell, Iowa, to Harley and Bernice (Fitzgerald) Baker. Pat started school in Detroit, Mich., and moved to Luzerne, Iowa, at age 11. She attended high school in Blairstown, graduating in 1953. She married her high school sweetheart, John Van Steenhuyse, on June 25, 1955. Their courtship was straight out of a 1950s romance. John was a star athlete and Pat was a cheerleader and class valedictorian. They married soon after graduation and moved to Cedar Rapids, where they lived for the rest of their 59-year marriage. Pat was a very intelligent woman and she channeled that intelligence into a successful career. She was a trailblazer for women in the workplace in Cedar Rapids, as illustrated in the Cedar Rapids Gazette by being featured as one of the first women to wear a pantsuit to work. She began her career at Stamats Publishing and moved up to become president of Type 2/GRI Printing Co., working in this position for 20 years. She retired from this position in 1994. She was well respected in her industry and was the first woman to receive the Ad Person of the Year Award in 1979. Pat was an avid reader who inspired all of her children to explore the world through books. She explored the world in other ways too, as she loved to travel, visiting the U.S., from Hawaii to Cape Cod. She had a great eye for color and design and, as a result, she had a beautiful home. Pat was devoted to her family. She came from a large extended family in which her cousins and sisters were all her best friends. She taught all of her children to become strong and independent people. She was a grandmother who was extremely involved in her grandchildren's lives, attending many soccer games, dance recitals and show choir competitions. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers and sisters-in-law. We will miss her quick wit, her beautiful smile and her wise advice. We love you. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Mercy. Please share your support and memories with Pat's family on her celebration wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.