Patricia Ostwald, 98, of Boulder, Colorado passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. She was born on August 13, 1926 in New York City to parents Jim and Hattie St. Clair. She grew up in Port Washington on Long Island, NY, where she cherished the independence of riding the train into NYC. Pat graduated from Port Washington High School in 1944.
Pat's parents were born and raised in Longmont, Colorado.
Pat spent many summers visiting there and grew to love Colorado. It was no surprise that in the fall of 1944, she traveled west by train to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, following in the footsteps of her parents.
At CU, Pat majored in Fine Arts/Interior Design, joined the Chi Omega sorority, played French horn in the marching band, and was crowned Queen of the Engine Ball in 1946.
After graduating in 1948, Pat returned to NY and worked for a home furnishings store.
She joined a young-adult church group, where she met "a very nice young fellow" named Tim Ostwald, also a CU graduate.
Upon seeing Tim for the first time, Pat reportedly declared, "He's mine!" They married on October 3, 1953, in Manhasset, NY.
After spending two years in Arizona while Tim was training with the army, they moved to Denver in 1956 and settled in Boulder in 1962. They designed and built their dream home on Juniper Avenue, with many of Pat's special design touches. Pat and Tim raised four children, the fifth generation of the family to live in Boulder County. Pat was a dedicated mother and homemaker, active in school and church communities. A member of the First Congregational Church for over 62 years, she met with a circle of church friends for coffee every Tuesday for decades. She could be seen walking in the neighborhood ever y evening into her 90s, despite occasional bear sightings, a reflection of her independent and willful spirit.
Pat's interest in genealogy began in 1972 when she began researching her family history. Pat was a passionate and dedicated member of the Boulder Genealogical Society and served as a volunteer librarian at the Carnegie Library for Local History over 30 years. She loved "the detective aspect" of tracing family histories.
In 2004, she and Tim received the society's first Distinguished Service Award.
Pat spent her last years at home with her daughter Amy by her side before moving to Frasier Meadows in Nov. 2024; those years were eased by the compassionate caregiving staff of Home Instead, The Summit Care Center at Frasier, and Trailwinds Hospice.
Pat was preceded in death by her husband Tim in 2017 and her sister Julia in 2024. She is survived by her four children: Amy St. Clair Ostwald, Timothy Craig Ostwald (Connie), Jonathan L ydick Ostwald (Karen), and Clay Denio Ostwald (Marlene); eight grandchildren (Trevor, Seren, Jessica, Jamie, Angelina, Milo, Daniel and Samantha), who know her as "Oma"; and three greatgrandchildren.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 4th at 11am at the First Congregational Church, 1128 Pine St, Boulder, CO 80302. The service will also be livestreamed via www.firstcong.net. In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Pat may be made to the First Congregational Church of Boulder Endowment Fund.