VANCOUVER — Patricia Leone (Sullivan) Rosenkranz, 90, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2021, in Vancouver, Washington. She had a home in Ocean Park, Washington prior to moving to Glenwood Place Senior Living Community in Vancouver in 2019.
Pat was born in Minot, North Dakota, on Feb. 12, 1931. She moved to Seattle with her family in 1941 and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1949. Pat married H. Craig Rosenkranz in 1952. They moved to Spokane with their two daughters, where Pat eventually obtained her teaching degree from Eastern Washington University. She was an inspirational art and social Studies teacher at Medical Lake Middle School for 22 years.
The Long Beach Peninsula was a special location for Pat and her family for over 60 years. She and Craig were among the first property owners in the Pacific Pines Development in Ocean Park. They spent many happy years with family and friends, vacationing and building a cabin on their property. They eventually built their retirement home and Pat continued to live there following Craig’s death in 1997.
Art, travel, and writing poetry were just a few of Pat’s many interests. Her association with the Cleveland High School Alumni Association and her lifelong interest in history led her to write the book “Honored Dead,” a collection of biographies of Cleveland High School boys who died in World War II.
Twenty years ago, a friend introduced Pat to Don Armeni, a fellow Cleveland H.S. alum. Together, Pat and Don enjoyed traveling in Europe and throughout the United States. They were active in the communities of Ocean Park and Kalama, Wash., where they attended the United Methodist Church.
Pat is survived by daughters Nancy Biasi (Dennis) of Portland, Jane Rettig (Steve) of Spokane; grandchildren Simon and Christopher Biasi, Cara Rettig Lommen (Drew), Haley Rettig Dang (Maika), five great-grandchildren, and her loving companion, Don Armeni. She will join her mother and brother at Holyrood Cemetery in Seattle where a family graveside memorial will be held at a later date.
Source: Legacy.com
The primary function of the CHS Alumni Association is not to benefit CHS students, but to preserve the CHS Memorial Forest. No one has done a better job of that than Pat Rosenkranz, because she has inspired many to work on the problems associated with the forest by writing her book, Honored Dead. ~ John R. Barton ’54
Last year our webmaster put together a video for Memorial Day, with photos and excerpts from the book. There is also a page on this website dedicated to the Honored Dead. Unfortunately, the book is out of print, and so we are currently in discussions to preserve this book, by having it bound in hardcover and distributing it to her family, as well as a close friend, and the Seattle Public Library.
Please join us in honoring Pat’s life and her work by making a contribution to the CHS Alumni Association in her name. Donate here.
