Obituary for Dr. Patricia Anne Weenolsen
It is with sadness we announce the passing of Dr. Patricia Anne Weenolsen, in Seattle, Washington, on March 28th, 2023. She was 92. She will be buried at Woodmen’s Cemetery in Langley, on Whidbey Island at 1pm on May 1.
Dr. Weenolsen lived life doing what she was passionately talented at: writing. Her bestselling book “The Art of Dying, How to Leave This World with Dignity and Grace, at Peace with Yourself and Your Loved Ones” won much praise. This led to appearances on popular shows like The Today Show, and The Joan Rivers Show, NPR, and many others. Additional non-fiction published works are “Transcendence of Loss Over the Lifespan” and “Creating More Love in your Life.”
Trish, as she liked to be called, also published a variety of short stories, poems, and fiction novels. Her acclaimed historical novel series, Remembrance of Things that Never Happened, includes four volumes “The Cave of Storms”, “Daughter of the Morning Star”, “An American Childrens Crusade”, and “Gone Away Mary”. She combined her fiction writing skills and psychology background to write “Mindstalker”, a terrifying thriller about a kidnapped boy.
She was very active in the local writing community, providing numerous lectures and keynote speeches and served as President of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.
Trish had a BA from Barnard College in English, an MA from the University of Chicago in Psychology, and a Ph. D in Psychology from University of California at Santa Cruz. She loved to share her knowledge as a Death and Dying expert through presentations, private counseling, and as a psychology professor at Seattle University. There she earned the top accolade of “Faculty of the Year” and praise from students and staff for her academic perspectives, achievements and personality.
Dr. Weenolsen was born in Paris, France, across the street from the Paris Opera House while her father played tennis with the King of Sweden, or so the family story goes. She soon moved to New York City with her parents, Robert and Hebe Weenolsen. Her father was a playwright and advertising executive, Robert Livingston Weenolsen (formerly Nee Kamber) and her mother, an acclaimed British Historical Fiction author, Hebe Otway-Ward Weenolsen. She also had a younger brother Robert Weenolsen, Jr. All of them predeceased her.
She is survived by her five daughters, Anne Gray, Pamela Marott, Valerie Marott, Melissa Overdorf and Jennifer Marott. She also leaves two sons-in-law, Christopher Overdorf and Jon Leib, plus three grandchildren: Sean Gray, Sydney and Sloane Overdorf.
She will be greatly missed.
Dr. Weenolsen lived life doing what she was passionately talented at: writing. Her bestselling book “The Art of Dying, How to Leave This World with Dignity and Grace, at Peace with Yourself and Your Loved Ones” won much praise. This led to appearances on popular shows like The Today Show, and The Joan Rivers Show, NPR, and many others. Additional non-fiction published works are “Transcendence of Loss Over the Lifespan” and “Creating More Love in your Life.”
Trish, as she liked to be called, also published a variety of short stories, poems, and fiction novels. Her acclaimed historical novel series, Remembrance of Things that Never Happened, includes four volumes “The Cave of Storms”, “Daughter of the Morning Star”, “An American Childrens Crusade”, and “Gone Away Mary”. She combined her fiction writing skills and psychology background to write “Mindstalker”, a terrifying thriller about a kidnapped boy.
She was very active in the local writing community, providing numerous lectures and keynote speeches and served as President of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.
Trish had a BA from Barnard College in English, an MA from the University of Chicago in Psychology, and a Ph. D in Psychology from University of California at Santa Cruz. She loved to share her knowledge as a Death and Dying expert through presentations, private counseling, and as a psychology professor at Seattle University. There she earned the top accolade of “Faculty of the Year” and praise from students and staff for her academic perspectives, achievements and personality.
Dr. Weenolsen was born in Paris, France, across the street from the Paris Opera House while her father played tennis with the King of Sweden, or so the family story goes. She soon moved to New York City with her parents, Robert and Hebe Weenolsen. Her father was a playwright and advertising executive, Robert Livingston Weenolsen (formerly Nee Kamber) and her mother, an acclaimed British Historical Fiction author, Hebe Otway-Ward Weenolsen. She also had a younger brother Robert Weenolsen, Jr. All of them predeceased her.
She is survived by her five daughters, Anne Gray, Pamela Marott, Valerie Marott, Melissa Overdorf and Jennifer Marott. She also leaves two sons-in-law, Christopher Overdorf and Jon Leib, plus three grandchildren: Sean Gray, Sydney and Sloane Overdorf.
She will be greatly missed.