Remembering Pattie Pleas
Patricia “Pattie” Hanstad was born November 29, 1941 to parents, John Arnold Hanstad and Janette Nyberg Hanstad at the Rowley Hospital in Mount Vernon, Washington.
At the age of one, Pattie and her parents moved to the east side of Big Lake on the Boulevard, now called Lakeview Drive.
Swimming, boating, fishing, biking, ice skating, riding horses, and hunting with her father became a way of life for Pattie. You might have then called her a tomboy. A delight for her was to play with her many friends whom later she came to cherish those friendships.
Pattie attended eight years of elementary school at Big Lake and later attended Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, and Bellingham high schools.
In November of 1958 she met Melvin Pleas and in November of 1959 they married. In October of 1960 a son was born, followed by a daughter in 1963 and another daughter in 1964. Pattie was living her dream of having a family.
The couple lived in Edmonds, later followed by Bothell, Marysville and then back to Edmonds. In 1971 they moved south of Snohomish and began building the first home they would own, Mel doing most of the work himself and his wife and children helping. This project continued until 1974, when the family moved into their wonderful home.
Later in 1974 Mel went to work on the Alaskan pipeline and Pattie, having been a stay-at- home mother, went to work at Flower World, a foliage nursery, about a mile from their home, working in the office until 1977. In 1978 the couple went into business for themselves as Mel Pleas Trucking and bought a new Peterbilt dump truck and trailer, with Mel as the driver and Pattie running the office and dispatching. The business then took on another element in 1979 and they began Western General Contractors, an earthmoving business, buying several pieces of heavy equipment and a second dump truck and trailer. In 1981 the couple began bidding on jobs in, and around Anchorage, Alaska.
However, in the fall of 1980, their youngest daughter, Teresa, “Terri Ann” had been killed while driving to work, by a hit and run driver, leaving Pattie and her entire family devasted.
In 1983 the couple had moved their business back to Washington, put their home up for sale and moved to Guemes Island, on the waterfront, on the northside of the island.
A second home was planned to be built at Stanwood, Washington after their purchase of ten acres in the Cedarhome area in 1990. They left Guemes Island and in 2001 their new home was completed. The announcement of planned annexation into the city limits was an unpleasant factor in their lives, so once again they moved; this time to Mount Vernon, making a full circle for Pattie, having been born there.
Travel became the focus in retirement years. Driving in all 50 states, 9 provinces, and to 5 great lakes. Experiences in Niagara Falls, cruising the west coast of Mexico, the Panama Canal, Aruba, and the Caribbean were major highlights. Driving to and from Alaska provided a wealth of wildlife to see, and was a favorite of Pattie’s, along with things and places they saw in the states that were only dreams since childhood that filled their hearts with joy.
Pattie’s number one love was family, followed by friendships, animals, writing, travel, genealogy and local history. She always had a pen and paper nearby.
Pattie wrote the following words many years ago: “I have touched HIS grass, gazed upon HIS beautiful sky, marveled at HIS trees, forests and mountains, felt both the energy and the calmness of HIS waters, felt HIS sun and wind upon my face, and felt HIS love of all living things; and for this I am truly blessed, and will be forever grateful.”
Pattie is predeceased by her parents; daughter, Terri Ann; her dearest cousin Sandra Hanstead York and 17 of her 24 first cousins.
She is survived by her husband, Melvin; son, Scott and daughter, Torri; grandsons Tilar and John; granddaughters, Catherin and Lyndsi, and nine great-grandchildren, John, Jaxon, Wyatt, Ellis, Alivia, Amy Lyn, Tallen, Brooklyn and Austin. She is also survived by her dearest life-long best friend, Jackie Anderson Faupel.
In Lieu of flowers, please donate in Pattie’s memory to: the BIG LAKE FIRE DEPT. 16818 West Big Lake Blvd, #8374, Mount Vernon, WA 98274
Arrangements were made by Kern Funeral Home, Mount Vernon, WA. No service will be held. (However, a celebration of life will be held later.)