By Carolyn Bogot

American Association of University Women

Pat Purcell’s enthusiasm for life and her wisdom make her a treasure to all who know her. She has been a leader in our community, both professionally and, more recently, in the volunteer realm.

For the past 17 years she has been volunteering with Mayo Clinic Health System, Austin Hospice Program. Pat says, “Hospice is very important to me. I’ve found that hospice patients, under that pile of rumpled sheets and blankets, want the world to know that they are still here and with us, and that their lives counted. They are a blessing in our existence and love us until they rush off to God. Rather than believe that hospice is a ‘giving up’ feeling, patients and families should look at the overall impact of Hospice improving the quality of life for both the patient and the caregiver.”

Classical music and opera are Pat’s contacts with our creator’s beauty. She finds refreshment and restoration in music, which helps her to face the challenges that life brings to all of us. Symphony Study Group is special to her in its support of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and in expanding her understanding of music.

The Ladies’ Floral Club, a group that supports the library, is another of Pat’s passions. She proudly reminds us that this group was first started in 1869 with 13 women, led by President Ester Morse. (Mrs. Morse was the first woman to be named a “Pillar of the Community.”) This small group sold flowers and held a flower show to purchase 231 books to open the first lending library in Austin.  Pat is proud to be a part of this organization, which continues to support “our grand library.”

She and her husband, Tom, raised 5 children in Austin. She began work as a dietitian at St. Olaf Hospital in 1952. Later she worked at nursing homes in Hayfield, Blooming Prairie and Dodge Center. She was also an instructor for Nursing Home Food Service Supervisors at Riverland College. Retirement has been full of activities for Pat with the above-mentioned activities, plus participation and leadership in Collectors Club and AAUW.

Pat’s words of wisdom for all are, “Find what you love to do. Be open to new experiences and meeting new people. Stay involved and bring the sunshine with you.” And she lives her own advice. Austin is fortunate to have you, Pat Purcell.