Sr. Patricia (Pat) Mary Hauser died on September 24, 2025 at 9:00 at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle, at 90 years of age, after 67 years as a Sister of Providence.
Sr. Pat was born on February 3, 1935 in Madison, Wisconsin, the eldest child of Peter and Ella Mae (Denson) Hauser. The family welcomed three more children to their loving family. Her family left the Midwest in 1944, and reestablished themselves in Bellingham, Washington. There, her parents not only provided for their own children, but welcomed some 115 foster children of all ages. This experience taught Sr. Pat a deep understanding and compassion for the poor that motivated the rest of her life and ministries.
In 1953, she graduated from Bellingham High School and then pursued an education in social work. She attended Western Washington State College, receiving a BA in 1957 with a major in sociology/anthropology and a minor in psychology. She received a Master of Social Work in 1968 from the University of Washington, Tacoma.
Sr. Pat entered the Sisters of Providence community in 1957, became a novice in 1958, professed First Vows in 1959 and Final Vows in 1964.
She was a teacher at Holy Family School, Seattle (1959-60); Our Lady of Lourdes School, Vancouver, Washington (1961-62); St. Joseph School, Vancouver (1962-63, 1964-65) and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary School, Sun Valley, California (1963-64).
Sr. Pat never lost her desire for social work. After receiving her MSW, she ministered at Catholic Charities in Yakima, Washington (1968-69). As a counselor and therapist in alcoholic rehabilitation she ministered at various rehabilitation centers throughout the province. For Religious Community service, she served on the Sisters’ first Formation Team (1968-75). Her ministries with individuals with HIV/AIDS and the disabled led Sr. Pat to seek time in solitude and contemplative prayer, spending time in India and finding peace in Forks, Washington.
In 2006, Sr. Pat was honored with the James Oldham Award from the Sundown M Ranch ministry. The plaque that was presented to Sr. Pat reads “… for your pioneering spirit of alcoholism and chemical dependency treatment. Your knowledge and passion is a rich heritage for all of us.”
She was blessed with an amazing, beautiful life and will be remembered for her deep compassion for others. She will be immensely missed. Her parents, Peter and Ella Mae, and her sister Beverly (Hauser) Echavez and brother David Hauser preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister, Francis (Hauser) Andrade, Honokaa, Hawaii, her extended family and her religious community.
Memorial contributions may be made in her honor to the Sisters of Providence Retirement Fund, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, M1-C, Renton, WA 98057-9016. To view Sr. Pat’s obituary and picture, and to sign her memory book, please visit the website for Bonney-Watson Funeral Home at www.bonneywatson.com.