Patti Jean Stowell Weiss
Patti Jean Stowell was born on April 25, 1957 in Montreal, Canada, but had mostly lived on Mercer Island since she was 5 years old. Growing up on Mercer Island, she swam for the MI Country Club and was a member of the Mercer Island High School cheer squad before graduating in 1975. She learned to love backpacking from her older brothers at a young age and backpacking became a passion of hers.
She started at Washington State University but then transferred to the University of Washington and finished her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Patti went on and completed her Masters in Social Work at UW.
Patti spent over 30 years of her career in the Social Work Department at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She was a highly respected clinician, supervisor and trainer and served on numerous committees. Patti was known for her attention to detail, ability to look at the big picture of any situation, and her strong ethical and legal expertise. She was instrumental in setting many of the policies and procedures that guide the social work department.
As an adult Patti pursued her passion for backpacking and was intrigued to start mountain climbing. She climbed Mt. Rainier numerous times, traveled to Mexico to climb its volcanoes and summited Mt. McKinley in 1989. It was while climbing that she got to know Brian Weiss, who she would later marry.
Brian and Patti have two children, Kyle McKinley and Annalise Rose. Patti was unselfishly dedicated to her family and always extremely proud of them. She taught them to love the outdoors as she did. She supported them in all of their activities, including Boy Scout Troup 647 backpacking trips. She also played a key role in the family’s effort in raising guide puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Patti was also an avid gardener.
Patti is known for her energy and embracing smile. She showed a loving and caring spirit in everything that she did. The word “amazing” is mentioned frequently by those who know her.
Patti was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in early 2012. She fought hard to beat it and held onto hope of living many years with it in remission. She died peacefully at home with family at her side on August 29, 2014.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Dean Payson Stowell and Lucile Eleanor (Samsel) Stowell and brother Jan. She is survived by her brothers Scott Stowell of Spokane and Kim Stowell of Seattle and sister Sally Taylor of Saintfield, Northern Ireland. She is also survived by her husband Brian Weiss and children Kyle and Annalise.
Please join us for a celebration of Patti’s life at 11:00 am on October 11, 2014. To be held at:
Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, 3605 84th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider making a donation in Patti’s memory to one of the following organizations: Mercer Island Presbyterian Church Youth Ministries, 3605 84th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 or Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc., PO Box 3950, San Rafael, CA 94912-3950, www.guidedogs.com
For more information about Patti’s life please go to http://bartonfuneral.com/2014/09/19/patti-jean-stowell-weiss/
