Pat Rattai (Nee Schultz)

April 12, 1943 – June 10, 2023

It is with broken hearts we announce the passing of our beloved wife, mother and grandmother Pat Rattai, on June 10, 2023 at Beausejour Hospital surrounded by her family.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband Richard of 58 years, her children Debbie (Rick) and Kevin (Wendy), and beloved grandchildren Torrie, Kaylee and Shaylyn Stefansson, Sheyanne Fletcher and Abby Rattai. As well, she leaves her sister Clara Matchizen, numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She will also be missed by her cat Sam, whom she adored and doted upon.

She was predeceased by her parents William and Josephine Schultz (nee Przednowek), and siblings Katie Schultz, Joe Schultz, Adeline Marynewich, Richard Schultz, John Schultz, Steffie Gosselin, Joan Modjeski, and Rose Gmitroski.  

Pat was born and raised on the family homestead in Cromwell, Manitoba, the 9^th of 10 children. She attended high school in Thalberg Manitoba and graduated in 1961 from Beausejour High School. After graduation she moved to Winnipeg to live with her older sisters, and worked as a clerk for Manitoba Health. She and Richard started dating in 1961, and tied the knot in 1964. Their first home was in the Green Bay School basement living quarters, where Richard worked as a teacher in the upstairs classroom. Pat then also worked as a teacher at Rattray School. They soon started their family with the birth of Debbie and then Kevin a couple years later.

In 1967 they made the decision to take over Richard’s family farm, and they moved their new family onto the home farm property in Green Oak. They loved the farm and Pat embraced everything about the farming lifestyle. Not content with only taking care of all the household duties of cooking, laundry, cleaning, gardening, canning, freezing, cutting the huge farm property lawn, feeding and milking the cattle and the other various farm animals, taking food to the fields, and raising children, Pat also drove the grain trucks from field to bin and market, augured the grain into the bins, hauled the hay bales onto the trailer and into the barn loft, deep-tilled the fields driving the 4 wheel drive tractors, was part of the construction crew for the quansets and other farm buildings, and did literally every other physical job on the farm. She was often seen holding tools fixing this or that in the house, and on top of it all she was the farm operation’s bookkeeper and accountant. During these years on the farm they had countless gatherings in their home and on their yard, from Richard’s band practices, multiple farm organization meetings, barn dances, to family gatherings for birthdays, anniversaries, reunions, fund raising events, and everything else in between. It was a very busy place, and whether there were two people or a couple of hundred, Pat was always the welcoming hostess to all, serving food, coffee, and refreshments along with her quick wit and boundless sense of humour. Pat loved to laugh and she loved to entertain.  

After 3 decades of farming, in 1997 Pat & Richard sold the farm and purchased a home on Pinawa Bay just northeast of Lac du Bonnet. Pat loved the outdoors, and after many years of fitting in short fishing and camping trips during the summer while farming, they now had the great outdoors right on their doorstep. They also now had young granddaughters, and much to their mutual delight, Debbie’s & Kevin’s families spent nearly every weekend at “Anna & Pa’s” place on the lake over the next 18 years. Even though officially retired from the farm, Pat loved to work, and she took on casual jobs at the Lac du Bonnet Dental Clinic, Tall Timber Lodge, and an at-home cooking business for the neighbours in the area. Most of all however, she absolutely relished all the time she had with her 5 granddaughters and ensured she spent every minute she could with them when they came over on the weekends and summer holidays.

In 2015 Pat & Richard moved back to Beausejour to be closer to health care resources and their family. Pat continued to entertain us with her quick and sometimes quirky humour, and she enjoyed many more special times with her children and grandchildren. Pat passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, at Beausejour Hospital on Saturday June 10.

Many thanks to the entire Health Care Team at Beausejour Hospital for their extraordinary care and compassion while Pat was in the hospital over the past 3 months. Very special thanks to Dr. Partyka & P.A. Vishnu for their excellent stewardship of Pat’s health care needs – you truly went above and beyond. Also a very special shout-out to Nurses Jackie (Pat’s great-niece) and Nicole, who went through the journey with us the last couple of days before Pat’s passing. Your deep care for Pat gave us great comfort, more than words can express.

A Memorial Service for Pat will be held on Saturday, June 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Sobering Funeral Chapel, 1035 Park Avenue E., Beausejour with interment to follow in the Beausejour Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Beausejour Food Bank.

www.soberingfuneralchapel.com

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