Patricia Ira

Patricia “Pat” Cottle Ira lived a life defined by nurturing. As a nurse, she cared for her patients. As an educator, she inspired her students. As a gardener, she cultivated her surroundings with beauty. As a friend, she built fellowship with everyone. Most of all, she fostered genuine relationships with family, as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and mother-in-law. She truly was our family matriarch.

Born in 1938, in Auburn, New York, Pat grew up in the small town of Hartlot in Onondaga County. She was the first child of Mary and Ed Cottle. While her father served in the Army in postwar Japan, Pat and her mother moved to her grandmother’s dairy farm. Her fond memories of life on the farm with five adoring, and very Irish, uncles inspired a poignant autobiographical account of that period that she wrote in 2005: Patty and the Panther.

When she was 13 years old, Pat’s sister Ann was born, followed by her sister Mary two years later. Times were not always easy, and Pat helped raise and care for her younger sisters. The experience helped shape what would become long held values of family, hard-work, and resilience.

A gifted student, she was in the honor society, was voted “Most Friendly” by her peers, and at the age of 16 graduated third in her high-school class. Encouraged by a close friend, she later enrolled in the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing. It was there that she caught the eye of a first year resident in the emergency room. Covered in a mask and gown, his simple raised eyebrow and a wink set in motion a yearlong courtship that culminated in her marriage to Dr. Teodorico S. Ira in 1959. Together, they began a partnership marked by 66 years of adventure, unwavering commitment, and boundless love.

Two years later, Pat and Ted had their first son Teddy, followed two years later by Greg, and two years after that, Steve. After settling in Portage, Michigan, Pat poured herself into her boys’ lives and was active in the community. She became a Cub Scout Den Mother, an official scorekeeper for the boys’ Little League games, and shuttled them everywhere from sports to piano lessons, to catechism and summer camps.

Over the next several decades, Pat found fellowship and purpose in the Kalamazoo Garden Club. She excelled at flower arranging receiving numerous awards for her work and ultimately began teaching and judging flower shows. She also brought the joy of gardening to others through garden therapy programs at local nursing homes. In 2018 she was recognized by the Kalamazoo Garden Club for long-time service. She also supported the newly established Philippine American Association of Southern Michigan (which she and her husband helped found), and took on numerous other volunteer roles.

By the 1980’s, as her children moved off to college, she returned to nursing and her desire for further education. From 1981 to 1987, she was a staff nurse at Borgess Hospital. In 1988 she earned her Masters in Nursing from Wayne State University. Around this time, she began teaching medical surgical nursing at Nazareth College where she became a beloved nursing educator for which she received the Sears Teaching and Campus Leadership Award in 1990. Pat accepted with her characteristic modesty by generously donating her award to the Faculty Senate Student Scholarship Fund. Throughout this time, she was known for her resourcefulness, calm leadership, high expectations grounded in compassion, and her gift for mentoring future nurses. Pat continued her studies at Wayne State University, earning her PhD in nursing in 1999 at the age of 61. With her newly earned Doctorate, she began teaching a Community Health Clinical course for the University of Michigan at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. In 2000, 42 years after she first enrolled in nursing school, she retired from the profession that shaped every aspect of her life.

Throughout her career, Pat always managed to put her family first. When her mother suffered from a stroke in 1996, Pat moved to Florida to care for her until she passed. Later, when her father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and suffered from kidney failure, she brought her lifetime of nursing to care for him until he passed. These acts of love were among the clearest reflections of her lifelong care and compassion.

After the deaths of her parents, Pat pursued with her characteristic vigor two new endeavors: genealogy and travel. Conducting genealogical research prior to the availability of online data, she poured over archives, visited cemeteries, and interviewed relatives to produce two family histories, tracing relatives as far back as 1769. One focused on her own Irish and English heritage, and the other on her husband's Filipino heritage.

Finally, together with her husband, Pat explored the world. They travelled to Ireland, Great Britain, the Caribbean, Greece, Scandinavia, Panama, Italy, China, Australia, Spain, Portugal, and Eastern Europe. When she wasn’t traveling abroad, she was organizing family trips with her children and grandchildren spending the later years closer to family in California.

A prolific letter and card writer, many of Pat’s friends will recognize the gradual decline in her communications over the last 7-8 years. After the social isolation of the COVID pandemic, Pat began to suffer with mild cognitive impairment and ultimately with mixed dementia. While her memory began to fade, her personality never changed. She remained the kind, selfless, and loving mother and friend that we all knew. While her memory loss was progressive, she was always able to savor the present moment. Whether it was enjoying the sounds of a wind chime, the warmth of the sun on a cool spring morning, the silky touch of a California Poppy, or the sweet treat of her favorite ice cream, she experienced joyful and peaceful moments up to her very last month.

Today, Pat’s legacy continues in the nurses she trained, the students she encouraged, the friendships she forged, and—above all—the family she cherished. Pat lived her life with kindness, grace, humility, and generosity. The memories she lost at the end of her life are still alive in the many cards, letters, histories, and stories she wrote, and in the experiences we all shared with her. She asked for little, gave much, and leaves behind a lasting reminder that a life lived in service, love, and curiosity is the most beautiful life of all.

Pat passed away peacefully at home on November 22, 2025, surrounded by her family—exactly where she belonged. She leaves behind her devoted husband of 66 years, Ted; their loving children Teddy, Greg, and Steve; her daughters-in-law who cherished her, seven grandchildren who adored her; her sisters, Anne and Mary who loved her dearly; her beloved chosen family members; and countless friends whose lives were brightened by her gentle, caring, fun spirit.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Pat at Saint Thomas More Catholic Student Parish, 421 Monroe St., Kalamazoo, on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 11:00 AM. A celebration-of-life reception will follow at 2:00 PM the same day at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Patricia C. Ira Memorial Endowed Nursing Scholarship at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. To contribute to the Patricia C. Ira Endowed Memorial Nursing Scholarship at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, donate online with a credit card at kvcc.edu/foundation. On the donation form, under the Additional Information section where it prompts "Designate Other Fund Name," type in Patricia Ira Scholarship. To contribute by check, mail your gift to: KVCC Foundation, Patricia Ira Scholarship, 6767 W. O Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49009.