Patricia Farnsworth Yoder

Patricia Farnsworth Yoder, age 88, passed away peacefully December 21, 2019 due to complications from COPD and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She was born May 29, 1931 in Fort Smith, Arkansas to Earl and Mildred Farnsworth. She married her college sweetheart, Lee Yoder in June of 1953.

Pat was raised in Fort Smith, Arkansas. She was educated in the Fort Smith public school system and graduated from Northside High School in 1949. Pat grew up with her brother and sister in a close-knit family. The family enjoyed travel, scouting, camping, cooking, gardening, school and church-based activities. Pat especially loved sewing, writing, reading, dolls, movies, and playing games and cards.

She graduated from the University of Arkansas in June of 1953 and was married later that month. Pat began her teaching career in Louisiana. Later she and Lee moved to Ambler, Pennsylvania where they raised three daughters.

Pat taught fifth grade in the Wissahickon School District for most of her career as an elementary school teacher. She retired in 1993. She was a dedicated and beloved teacher for 30+ years. She brought her creative skills into many classroom activities, the most memorable being an annual marionette puppet construction project. Hundreds of children learned sewing, play-writing, and speaking skills culminating in performances enjoyed school-wide.

Travel was an important part of Pat’s life. It started in childhood and continued throughout her married life. She and Lee camped their way across the United States numerous times. In the ensuing years, and because of a shared passion for birdwatching, their travels expanded to include, Europe, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Myanmar, South and Central America, Mexico, and Canada.

Pat was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. She shared her love of baking, crafts, sewing, dolls, drama, travel, reading, shopping, writing, education, and movies with her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, Lee Yoder, her sister, Rosemary Erickson, her brother, Justin Farnsworth; her three daughters, Jill Kaminski, Paige Yoder Celestin, and Robin Martin; her grandchildren, Amelia Martin, Ansley Martin, Louise Celestin and Conrad Celestin.

A memorial service will be held at Penney Memorial Church at Penney Retirement Community in Penney Farms, Florida on January 18, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you remember Pat with a contribution to an organization she supported, Heifer International at:   

https://www.heifer.org/give/one-time.html