Patricia Louise Canedy

Patricia Canedy Obituary Born: May 7, 1927 Died: September 4, 2022 Patty was born in Wellington, Kansas, the first child of Merton and Evelyn Lynn. She grew up during the Depression in Wellington, with her younger brother, Norris, surrounded by loving grandparents, aunts and uncles. Her father’s work required her family to move thirty miles north to Wichita when she was in junior high school. In high school she met Eldon Gifford. After high school and after his military service they were married and started their family. For three years they lived in Manhattan, Kansas where Eldon got a degree. By the time they moved back to Wichita, they had three children and shortly after that they completed their family with a fourth child. In 1955, with children ranging from three to eight years old, they moved to Seattle, Washington, where Patty devoted most of the next fifteen years to raising her children. She was a loving mother, a steady presence and always had warm cookies waiting when her children came home from school. After her children were grown and left home, Patty and Eldon bought a place near Port Townsend, WA and began fixing it up as a place to retire. As with many couples, without the common goal of raising children, there was not enough to hold their marriage together, so, after thirty years, they went their separate ways. Patty moved to Port Townsend to start a new life, settling in the home that was to have been their retirement home, which came to be known as “Grandma’s Farm”, working full time, first at Sears, then for the county as a senior volunteer coordinator. She made a good life for herself, and remained in Port Townsend for the next twenty-five years. Not long after moving to Port Townsend she met a widower named Jim Canedy through mutual friends. They married and had eight wonderful years together, improving the place, traveling a bit and doting on grandchildren. One day, unexpectedly, while bringing in an armload of firewood, Jim Canedy had a massive heart attach and died suddenly, leaving Patty on her own for the second time. Patty continued working, caring for her mother and being a vital part of the Port Townsend community, active in her church and caring for friends. Through her work she eventually met a very kind gentleman, Thurston Sydnor. Patty and Thurston were good friends for a number of years before marrying near the end of his life. Thurston was in declining health and Patty looked after him for about a year before he died, leaving her a widow for the second time. Patty spent the next three years continuing to work, caring for her own elderly mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s and keeping up her twelve acre property. By then, she was seventy-five years old. Her oldest daughter, Judy, encouraged her to sell the farm and move to Corvallis, Oregon where she would be close to Judy and Patty’s son, Bill, and their families. Patty moved to Corvallis with her mother in 2002 where she lived for the final twenty years of her life. She spent fifteen of those years living on her own before moving to an independent living facility and finally a memory care facility, Alzheimer’s disease slowly taking her from us as it had her mother. Patty was a lifelong Presbyterian and sang in the church choir for many years. She loved to read, and was an avid knitter, making caps, socks, blankets and other items for many family members. She always had a dog., sometimes also a cat, but always a dog. She loved antiques and going to estate sales. She had a wealth of knowledge on all kinds of old dishes and furniture. Her house was filled with beautiful antique furniture that she had hand picked over the years. She loved ice cream and going for short trips in the car just to get out and see people. She laughed easily and played bridge in weekly groups just to be with friends. Patty was a devoted mother to four children, a devoted wife to three husbands, a devoted daughter in the care of her parents. She was mostly content to be at home or in the company of family or close friends, but she was also able to travel a bit; to China, to Africa, to Europe and the UK a couple of times. She was a favorite of grandchildren who loved to visit her at her farm. She is survived by her four children: Judy Witzke (Paul). Bill Gifford (Amey), Kathy Cherry (Jim) and Gavin Gifford: twelve grandchildren: twenty six great grandchildren and a couple of great great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful if you made a small donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in her memory.

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Patricia Louise Canedy

May 7, 1927 - September 4, 2022