In Loving Memory of Patricia Ann Lease
Entered into Life April 15, 1945
Entered into Eternal Life July 12, 2012
Where Eagles Soar – adapted verse of Ralph Waldo Emerson
“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of all who you meet; the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of critics; overcoming the betrayal of false friends;
To see beauty in the least; lifting up the best from the wretched of the earth;
To leave the world more vibrant and sacred, whether by a child, a garden patch, or in dedicating one’s life and spirit for social change for those who have been forgotten and who have nowhere to turn;
To know how many countless lives breathed more easily because of your touch….”
These are a few of the gifts that Patricia Ann bestowed on us.
What Pat meant to us. She was tenacious, principled, dedicated to the challenges of a sense of uncompromising justice. She was always a person who you could count on to keep the drum beat, creating a rhythm that set the standard of care for veterans who were homeless. She was understood by the few, the proud and the troubled who depended on her determination and commitment to their well-being.
I met her when I first was involved with Point in Time surveys of MDHI (The Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative). For more than a decade I learned from her what quality assurance is while working on the results of out reach to homeless people. We knew what it meant to serve and understood that no matter how imperfect the process that she was the gatekeeper.
Through years and years Pat served on the board of the Metropolitan Denver Homeless Initiative. She was always involved in the committees involved with the process of understanding information and regulations from the federal government, which led to establishing the pro rata need. Her work was impeccable and through everything she was forthright and straight forward about what was of utmost importance. Her values were crystalline.
If you met her with honest openness and purpose she was a stalwart ally. She always was counted on and engaged in the Veteran’s housing, Stand Downs and in Housing Colorado. She was a conscientious advocate for the benefit of anyone living on the edge. She was a stalwart advocate, a voice crying in the wilderness for justice and a place of refuge.
Many people who have no idea of her death who were touched by Pat would want to raise a toast to her and her influence on their lives.
Patricia Ann Lease, we salute you!
