| Honored by: | Arlen D. Patrick |
| Brick location: | B:8 map |
YOUR MOTHER--NADYNE (1913- 1999)
Excerpts from "Precious Bonds" (1984) written by her husband Sylvester J. Patrick (1912-1986), (Iowa State University 1930 - 1934)
She was taught by her mother until she was ready to enter the third grade. The boys in grade school would fight over the right to save a swing for her at recess.
She was a straight 'A' student. She began piano lessons very early and became an excellent piano accompanist.
She was a Rainbow Girl.
She became acquainted with her future husband while playing the piano for his trombone solos.
Sylvester Patrick was the envy of all the boys in high school as they wanted to date NaDyne.
She attended church and Sunday school regularly and at Epworth League she began to pair off with Sylvester.
She played the saxophone in the band and Sylvester would walk her home after evening practice.
She enrolled at Morningside College in Mathematics and Science and soon found herself the only girl in several classes.
During the summer vacation months her dates with Sylvester consisted of long drives in the country and an occasional picnic in the woods.
She graduated from college Summa Cum Laude and returned for additional piano study in the fall of 1934.
Her piano recital piece was the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto.
During the summer of 1935 the couple decided that they didn't want to wait any longer to marry.
They were married in October and had $20.00 to spend on a honeymoon in the Ozarks.
She was a lovely bride in a dress made to fit her 18 inch waist.
She was frightened when she first knew that she was pregnant.
Her family grew and grew until she had mothered thirteen.
The first question she would ask as they were born was "is the baby all right?"
She was always very grateful that every one was physically perfect.
If a baby was hungry, it was fed; if it was afraid, it was comforted.
Her home remedies usually restored her offspring back to health when they were ill.
She nursed everyone and deplored the day that they no longer could be held and cuddled.
When money was scarce, she cooked with whatever she could find.
She made over clothes and repaired them.
She maintained a large garden and canned the produce thereof.
Every member of the family always had clean clothes.
She required clean hands and faces at the dinner table.
She instructed her children in the basics of education before they entered school.
She comforted her family in time of stress and was a source of strength to her husband when he was feeling low.
She went without new clothes for years and rarely bought for herself.
Proper grammar was a must in her house and she encouraged good marks in school from her offspring.
She expected good behavior in public from her children.
She rarely complained except to wish that she could help in some way with the family finances.
When her youngest started to school, she renewed her teaching certificate and taught Literature and English from 1961 to 1978. Her first contract paid $4,800 a year.
When the family moved to Iowa Falls in 1968, she soon got the job of teaching English in the junior high.
She suffered a heart attack in May of 1981 and then quit her job.
She tends over 250 house plants, which she has always loved.
She suffered a second heart attack in the fall of 1981 and is doing well on new medication.
NaDyne has had a very full life; she raised a large family of beautiful children and had 17 years of a teaching profession.
She married a man who has loved her more with every passing day.
She has seen her children marry well and give her many beautiful grandchildren.
She read books voraciously.
She has made countless pieces of hand fancywork for her children and grandchildren.
She taught Sunday school for many years and was a regular attendee at church.
She reigned as the queen of the family and was the center or attention when the family gathered.
The important things in her life were her husband, her family, and her many friends.
She was your mother. She was a loving and caring wife. She was strong in her faith and had a zest for life.
Every day was Mother's Day for her.
None of her children or her husband will ever love her as much as she loved them.
NaDyne died on December 30, 1999. She was the mother of seven sons and six daughters born 1936 to 1958. Seven studied at ISU; five graduated from ISU; and one holds advanced degrees. Two children married ISU graduates and NaDyne has a growing number of grandchildren attending ISU.
Submitted on 7/94 updated 5/2002