Obituary: West, Patrice Janet
Age 71
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2015, at 3:00 pm at the Northern Quest Hotel, Kalispel Room South, 100 N. Hayford Road, Airway Heights, WA.
Patrice was born on May 28, 1943, in Coulee Dam, WA, to Fred William and Eava Amelia (Bucholtz) Dennis.
Patrice was the eldest of four children.
She attended grade school through high school in Spokane Valley and graduated from Central Valley High School in 1961.
After high school she followed her family to Juneau, AK, where she went to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
From there she transferred to the Internal Revenue Service, working in Juneau, then Seattle and finally Anchorage, retiring from the IRS after 30 years of government service.
She then relocated to Spokane Valley to be near her family.
Patrice’s favorite pastimes were playing bingo and going to the area casinos, and she was lucky at both.
She also loved to travel, especially in the motorhome.
In the Spring and Summer of 1978 the family took a trip around the U.S. to offer her son a chance to learn about the wonderful places in our country.
While living and working in Alaska she was able to travel to remote villages and learned of their culture, and she had a special love for Billikens and Native Alaskan baskets and art work.
She also was very interested in the Iditarod Sled Dog Race and followed it closely every year.
After moving to Spokane Valley she would make a yearly trip back to Anchorage and would take trips with friends to Seward, Homer and Talkeetna.
She also traveled to California often to visit her son Bernie and her grandson Brayden whom she loved dearly and was very proud of.
Her other favorite travel destination was Hawaii to visit with her daughter Kim and soak up the sun and magic of the islands.
Patrice is survived by her daughter Kim Munson of Kauai, HI; son Bernie West and grandson Brayden West of Everett, WA; sister Margaret Kobylus, and brother Edward Dennis of Spokane Valley, WA, brother Bill Dennis of Mukilteo, WA; and niece Jennifer Stewart and family of Spokane Valley, as well as numerous cousins in Washington.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her niece Angela.
The family wishes to thank Hospice of Spokane Hospice House staff for their compassionate care of Patrice during her final days.
Donations may be made in memory of Patrice to Hospice of Spokane, 121 S. Arthur St., Spokane, WA 99202, or the American Childhood Cancer Organization Inland Northwest (ACCOIN), P.O.
Box 8031, Spokane, WA 99203.