Patty Ponath, born Patricia Irene Whalen, passed away on April 27, 2024 at the age of 69.

Patty was born on February 3, 1955 in Dumbarton, Scotland, the daughter of Tim and Margaret Whalen. In 1961, her parents moved her, her brother Tom and her sister Caroline across the pond, settling in San Francisco, where her Father played professional soccer. It was here that Tricia attended a strict Catholic school, enjoying time with her friends and entertaining herself by making her own clothes.

After graduating high school, Patty jumped right into the workforce, working at a furniture factory, before meeting and marrying John Freitas. After welcoming two children, Sean in 1980 and Erin in 1981, Patty filed for divorce and found strength and independence in her time as a single mom. She took a job with GTE, where she met her husband, Bob.

Bob and Patty were married on May 10, 1986, in Fremont, California. In 1988, they welcomed a daughter, Laura, before moving to Leawood, Kansas. They completed their family with Julia in 1991, and Patty was able to fulfill her desire of being a full time stay at home mom.

As a stay-at-home mom, Patty stayed busy. She loved taking and organizing pictures of her family, maintaining photo albums and digital folders of all the family events. She enjoyed working with houseplants, keeping the family in clean and ironed clothes, having the house always guest-ready, maintaining the family calendar (which was no easy task given all the kids’ activities!), sending all kinds of occasion cards to friends and family, and having a hot meal ready for dinner every night so everyone could enjoy some quality family time around the kitchen table. 

After the kids were all in school, Patty held multiple jobs ‘for pay’ but still found time to devote to her family. She especially loved children, not only her children and grandchildren, but children of all ages.  She helped in Church Sunday School and Nursery programs. She later retired from the Blue Valley School district, where she worked as a job coach and Para-educator at Blue Valley North High School, helping special needs children.

She leaves behind her husband of 38 years, Bob Ponath, and children Sean Freitas, Erin Wehner, Laura Metz, Julia Ponath and their families, including seven grandchildren.  Her joy in life came from being the matriarch of her family, spending time nurturing and caring for her husband and kids. She will be missed by many!

Patty will be inurned in a private family service.

Please do not send flowers. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Patty’s memory to either Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care Donate - Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care (kchospice.org) or the Alzheimer’s Association Make A Donation | Alzheimer's Association