Patricia S. Rychter

Patricia Suzanne Rychter, Ph.D.
Patricia Suzanne Rychter, age 57, of 5410 Dewey Drive, Stevens Point, passed into eternal life on December 23, 2009, after a deeply moving and inspirational fight against metastatic pancreatic cancer since February 2009. Patricia was a devoted, loving, caring and compassionate wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend and colleague. Her life was lived with tremendous passion, integrity, wisdom, generosity, determination and hard work. She was an extraordinary person, who always placed her love of family and God first. Her strong faith served at the very core of who she was and guided her throughout the joys, accomplishments, challenges and sorrows along life's journey.

A rosary, prayer service, and personal memorial will be held Sunday, December 27, 2009, at 6 p.m. at Pisarski/Dzikoski Funeral Home, Stevens Point, with visitation starting at 3 p.m. ending at 7:00 pm Sunday evening. Mass of the Resurrection will be at St. Mary Immaculate Conception - Torun, Stevens Point on Monday, December 28, 2009, at 11 a.m. Family and friends may call at St. Mary's of Torun Catholic Church from 10:00 a.m. until the time for mass. The Rev. Father Wesley Janowski, C.R. will officiate. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. All are welcome to attend these services to celebrate Patricia's beautiful life. Online memories and condolences can be shared at www.pisarskifuneralhome.com.

Patricia was born on March 17, 1952 at St. Michael's Hospital, Stevens Point, to the late Joseph Sr. and Johanna (Yach) Bunczak in Marathon County. Her loving parents brought their precious newborn daughter home from the hospital in a huge March snowstorm. She grew up on a family dairy farm and was the youngest of eight children who lived into adulthood. On her 16th birthday, she met Ron, who has been her best friend for 41 years. The two soul mates were united in marriage on June 16, 1973, at St. Ladislaus Catholic Church, Marathon County. In every way, she completed her husband Ron, while creating a life together full of wonderful memories often captured in family pictures and video. They were truly a dynamic team who enjoyed working and playing together. She helped Ron on their family dairy farm and was his biggest fan towards his photography business. She was the best mom and friend in the world to two children, Dr. Kelly Rychter (Chicago) and Jason Rychter (Stevens Point). Helping them understand the value of a strong faith life and showing by example served as the cornerstone of her exceptional parenting skills. Instilling strong morals and values in them was very important to her. She always took the time and effort to provide loving guidance and support to them. Her mother and mother-in-law were blessed by her loving caregiving in their later years. Patricia treasured her husband, children, siblings, parents and other family members beyond compare.

Patricia received her Bachelor's Degree in Home Economics in 1973 and her Master's Degree in 1977 from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. She received her Ph.D. in Continuing Adult Education in 1996 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her Ph.D. dissertation was research on futuring in adult education. Dr. Rychter has worked as the Portage County Family Living Educator for over 25 years. Her career was dedicated to improving the lives of Portage County children and families by providing research-based educational programming at every life stage, including: parenting, financial management, suicide prevention, aging/elder care, family history and nutrition. Her vision, leadership, knowledge and skills were instrumental in launching unique programs, such as Healthy Beginnings Portage County. She brought an amazing amount of energy to her speaking and commanded an audience with enthusiasm. Patricia has inspired parents, professionals and community members to leave this world a better place by making a difference in countless lives. She was an active member of over 20 organizations throughout her career, such as; Right From the Start Coalition, Portage County Financial Wellness Program Coalition and the Portage County Association for Home and Community Education. Many distinguished professional awards and recognition were received by Patricia, including; Chancellor's Career Award, Governor's Certificate of Commendation, UW-Cooperative Extension Full Professor, UWSP Outstanding Alumni Award, and Greenwood Doctoral Fellowship.

Patricia was deeply passionate about spending time with family, reading, writing, traveling, gardening, boating, family history, shooting video and going for nature walks. Lasting travel memories created with her family include: searching for ancestors in Poland, exploring South Africa on safari, hiking through Costa Rican rainforests, visiting St. Peter's Square in Italy and walking on the beach in Hawaii. She believed in the value of preserving family history and learning about our ancestors to provide an understanding of and perspective on the present. She wrote a book entitled Treasured Memories of Life on Our Family Farm that is impossible to put down once you've started reading it. In every aspect of her life she brought an endless amount of enthusiasm and energy, which made our life together as "The Happy Rychter's" filled with so many laughs and fun times.

Precious memories of Patricia will be forever cherished by her surviving siblings, including; one brother, Joseph Jr. (Elaine) Bunczak, Rosholt, six sisters, Theresa (Henry) Koehler, Milwaukee, Bernice Domka, Wausau, Gertrude (Steve) Eron, Merrillan, Jacqueline (John) Grabel, Payson, AZ, Rita (Fred) Straub, Wausau, and Joani (Armando) Mendoza, Carlsbad, CA. Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Sr. and Johanna (Yach) Bunczak and infant siblings, Leonard and Agnes Bunczak.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the physicians, nurses, spiritual leaders and staff of St. Michael's Hospital who cared for Patricia with a great deal of love and compassion during her illness. We would like to extend a special sense of gratitude to Father Wesley and the entire St. Mary's parish community for their continuous prayers and support. Our loving family, friends, and colleagues are truly a blessing. We are forever grateful to each of you.