Pat Techentien

Sarah “Pat” Davidson Techentien passed peacefully in her sleep the morning of May 6, 2012, surrounded by her loving husband of 60 years, Don Techentien and their two children, Gary and Sue.  Born in Levi, West Virginia on June 15, 1928, Pat grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, graduating from Arthur Hill High School in 1947.  Always vivacious and known for her “Pepsident smile,” she worked as a receptionist at the Saginaw News and Reichle Supply Company until 1954 when she devoted herself to being a wife and mother.

Like her parents, Harry and Adjie Davidson, Pat was an avid reader.  Her life with Don took her from Michigan to California, to Kansas City.  They saw the world together, and although she never relished the role of corporate hostess, she always performed it brilliantly, helping Don build his career until they finally settled in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri where they lived contentedly for the final three decades of her life.

Pat loved to garden and always crafted landscapes of color and beauty around her homes, never tiring of watching the myriad songbirds, hummingbirds and squirrels, whom she attracted with an always-evolving array of bird-feeders, birdbaths and birdhouses.  A talented artist, Pat produced a number of landscapes for family and friends notable for the way melancholy and joy found balance in her treatment of natural and rustic forms.

Nothing was more important to Pat than helping those in her circle cultivate awareness of themselves and their relations.  She devoted her greatest passion to her relationships with her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her relatives and her friends.  Through her loving and insightful influence–which she dispensed in manners running from the the gentle to the tough–all who knew Pat benefited from her having been in their lives.  Her effect on others was as quiet as it was profound and its goodness is certain to echo through the relationships of those she touched for generations to come.

Pat is survived by her husband, Donald Walter Techentien of Osage Beach, Missouri, her son Gary Carl Techentien and his wife Diana, of Jacksonville Beach, Florida and her daughter Sue Ann Weiden and her husband John, of Canton, Georgia.  Grandchildren include Chad Weiden of Chicago, Illinois, Todd Weiden of Windermere, Florida, and Tom Techentien of Beaverton, Oregon and their families, and Stephen Techentien and Aimee Techentien of Jacksonville, Florida.  Pat’s sister, Letha Smith lives in Newaygo, Michigan and Pat’s brother, Harry Davidson lives in Au Gras, Michigan with his wife Annie.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. at Reitz-Herzberg Funeral Home, 1550 Midland Road in Saginaw, Michigan.

Pat asked that in lieu of flowers for her memorial service friends donate to either of the following charitable organizations:  Better Breathers, 54 Hospital Drive, Osage Beach, Missouri 65065; Community Hospice of America Foundation, 600 Monroe, Suite 100, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101.