Patricia R. Stoner

Patricia Ruth (Brown) Stoner passed away after a short illness on Friday, September 7, 2018, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was 87.

Patricia was born at home in Lexington, Oklahoma, in October 1930. She was the second of five children born to Rawleigh and Iva Glendora (Owenby) Brown. Her father worked on the railroad during the Great Depression, and the family moved to Chicago, Martin City, and Argentine. The family eventually settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where Pat graduated from Southeast High School in 1948. She learned shorthand and typing at community college, and worked as a secretary at Sinclair Oil and the Hereford Association, in Kansas City.

During the Korean War, Pat's sister, Lil, and Lil's then-boyfriend, and later spouse, Bill Snyder played matchmakers to a convalescing soldier, Glen Edward Stoner. Pat and Glen fell in love, and married shortly thereafter, on Flag Day in 1952.

Glen was assigned to Counter Intelligence Corps in Germany, and Pat worked there as a civilian employee. They couldn't talk to each other about their respective jobs when they came home at night. While in Europe, they had the opportunity to travel all over Germany, France, Austria, and Italy.

After retiring from the Army, the couple decided to move closer to their family, and settled in Shawnee, Kansas. There they had two daughters, Lisa, and Cindi.

Pat volunteered as a library aide and teacher's aide at her daughters' school, Raymond B. Marsh. She was a Girl Scout cookie chairman and camp treasurer at Pioneer Girls Camp, (even though she wasn't a fan of roughing it in the great outdoors).  She faithfully attended every school activity for her daughters and grandchildren, and zealously preserved an archive of every award, trophy, and accomplishment they achieved.

Her typing skills came in handy when her family would ask her questions about grammar, or when helping her daughters meet late-night deadlines. Whenever anybody needed a hand, she would help in an unassuming and quiet way. She was hospitable, and delighted in offering guests a smorgasbord of her famous cookies-all of which she claimed, based on mid-century nutritional science, were "healthy."

Though initially averse to having pets, Pat loved animals. Her beloved cat, Smokey, was her inseparable companion for most of the last decade of her life, and she drew enormous comfort from his calm presence.

She was active at her church First Baptist of Shawnee, where she and Glen twice went through the four-year Menninger Bible Study course. She served the church faithfully, working in Vacation Bible School,  Pioneer Girls, and various other capacities. She preferred working behind the scenes and did so any time she was asked.

After Pat suffered a fall in February 2018, she moved to Brookdale Rosehill in Shawnee, where the kind staff in the C Section took great care of her. A world of thanks to the Brookdale staff, including, among others, Donna, Stella, Dorothy, Audrey, Hilarious, James, and Sonia, and especially our beloved Kelly, who went over and above. Further, the family wishes to thank Carolyn Austin, who never let a week pass by for many years without a beautiful hand-made card of encouragement and a reminder of God's love.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Glen, her parents, her oldest brother, David Brown, and her youngest sister, Edna Davidson. She is survived by her beloved sister and brother, Lillian Snyder and Tom Brown; her daughters, Lisa (Steve) Obermeier, Olathe, and Cindi (Todd) Johnson, McKinney, Texas; and by her seven grandchildren: Michael (Sara) Obermeier, Daniel (Shannon) Obermeier, Matthew Obermeier, Mitchell (Sarah Cavenaugh) Johnson, and Grant, Annaliese, and Brett Johnson.

The visitation will be held at 10 a.m. at Amos Family Funeral Home, 10901 Johnson Drive, Shawnee, Kansas on Saturday, September 15, 2018, followed by a funeral, which will commence at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Shawnee, where Pat was a member for almost 50 years, or the Great Plains SPCA Pet Adoption Center, Merriam, Kansas.