Patty Pedersen left us suddenly and unexpectedly when she got a blood clot in her lung on March 11 and died that evening. Patty's leaving has left a big hole in our hearts.

Born in Philadelphia, Patty was working in New York when a cousin, playing basketball with his son, had a heart attack and died. For her it was one of those "what am I doing with my life" moments. Every year Patty had taken a ski trip with girlfriends to different ski resorts in the US and Europe. On their trip to Sun Valley, the moment Patty hit the tarmac she knew she wanted to live here. She gave herself a year to accomplish her mission. Patty returned to New York, sold her apartment, gave her boss his required six-months' notice, called a broker in Sun Valley to find her a place to live, packed up her things and, when everything was done, she hopped on a plane and never looked back.

A friend had given Patty $5 to buy a drink for some cute guy she met on the chairlift. It happened soon. She met Bob Pederson on that chair, and, after the eight-minute ride, they skied the day together, bought that drink at the end of the day and never left each other. A year later they married and Patty joined Bob in his construction business, building homes in the San Juan Islands.

Then they built their home here and bought a camper. They were just starting to enjoy their retirement, wandering around the west, meeting up at rallies and tours with other like minded campers.

Patty was big hearted, generous, and a great cook with a big Italian smile. She is terribly missed by her husband Bob, their two golden retrievers, Rory and Gracie, and all of her friends.

In lieu of a service to honor Patty, a donation can be made to St. Jude's Childrens' Research Hospital or any other local charity of your choice. She would like that.