Patricia C. Blesener

Patricia Catherine Kinsella Blesener was a daughter of the Great Plains and Midwest, living in North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Wisconsin and Texas. In each place she lived Pat made friends and was active in Catholic parishes.

Born in Ward County, North Dakota on January 26, 1932, to Alan Paul Kinsella and Margaret Agnes McDonald Kinsella, she was the fourth of ten children. She graduated from Minot College with a teaching certificate and taught in rural North Dakota. In 1951 she married Robert James Blesener in Berthold, North Dakota. She quit teaching to care for her growing family.

After Bob accepted a job with Oldsmobile, they moved from North Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then to Indiana. During this period, Pat took classes at local colleges, to earn a Bachelor of Education while raising her five children. In Indiana she returned to teaching and earned a Master of Education degree. When Bob transferred to Corpus Christi, Texas she continued teaching. They moved to Rapid City, South Dakota when Bob retired from Oldsmobile, and Pat taught there until her retirement. After retirement Pat moved to live near family in Madison, Wisconsin and then Waco, Texas.

Pat kept in touch with her growing number of friends and family through cards, letters, and phone calls. She sent cards for birthdays, anniversaries and other events as well as to say hello. In return, many friends and family wrote back. She attended St. Louis’ Catholic Church in Waco and sang in the choir. She enjoyed singing, was a fiercely competitive tennis, card and scrabble player, and liked gardening, feeding birds, and attending adult education classes.

She retained her strong faith in God, and the Church was especially important in times of suffering and sorrow. Pat lost her husband Bob in 1984, soon after moving to Rapid City. Her youngest daughter, Paula died in 2014, and Paula’s husband Matt Mitchell died in 2022. Pat mourned the passing of siblings and their spouses, and many friends. She died on April 4, 2025 in Waco.

Family members surviving Pat include her children, Julie Blesener, Kathy Blesener (husband John Royster), Scott Blesener, and Susan Blesener (husband Rick Champagne); grandchildren, Eden, Guthrie, and Thea Blesener, Aaron and Mara Champagne (husband Ryan Hagerbrant), Nathan Mitchell, and Alex Royster(wife Dr. Karalynn Royster) and Robert Royster; great grandchildren, Hazel and Merrill Royster and Louisa Hagerbrant. Pat is also survived by her sisters, Pauline Yoshida and Rita Fitzpatrick, and brothers, Leo and Jerry Kinsella.

Please direct memorial gifts for Patricia Blesener to Meals on Wheels Waco at https://mowwaco.org/