Patricia Gay Eriksen

Patricia Gay Peoples Eriksen was born January 19, 1942 down by the Hatchie River in Walnut, Mississippi at her grandparents home. She was the daughter of Lillie Gay Vinson Peoples and Ennett Judson Peoples.

"OK, now that the stats are taken care of and you have heard them, we can get on with the rest of it. You all know I have taken flight and am celebrating in Heaven where God in His mercey has relieved me of all pain and suffering."

Pat spent the first five years of her life living with her grandpants on a farm in Mississippi and also a farm in Shiloah, Tennessee due to her parent's jobs. When she was twelve years old her family moved to Kentucky where she grew up. Although Pat lived in big cities, she was still a country girl at heart and was a country cook. No gourmet fixings for her. Fried potatoes and pork and beans with cornbread was her favorite food. Of course, the other southern foods applied as well. Sunday dinner was usually fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and a veggie. 

Pat loved spending time with her family and friends, gardening, traveling, fishing, sewing, reading mysteries, photography, scrapbooking, dressing up in costume for Halloween, gazing at the ocean and when she was younger, dancing. Let's not forget her love of Southern Gospel and country music. She and Don went to every Gospel concert they could, even driving as far as Nampa, Idaho. If there was a concert nearby, Pat and Don were there. She also enjoyed taking part in the ladie's luncheons, potluck dinners, annual Fourth of July parade and Bunco in her neighborhood.

Pat held a veriaty of jobs. she worked for the North Clackamas School District as well as the Oregon City School District. In addition she worked as a bartender, housekeeping in several nursing homes, inserter and delivery driver for a newspaper, long-haul truck driver, courier for a cement company, in several garment factories, taxi driver and dispatcher for the same cab company and property management, retiring in 2008.

In 1984, she met her husband, Don, in the driver's room at the cab company they worked for. They became casual friends and two years later a spark ignited and they began dating on Valentine's Day. They were married on Valentine's Day in 1988. Pat often told everyone she had to kiss a lot of frogs before she found her prince. Don not only was her prince but her knight in shinning armor and the one love of her life.

Pat is survived by her husband, Donald, of 27 wonderful years, sons, James Patrick Mishler of Milwaukie, Oregon, Christoffer Eriksen of Bellingham, Washington and daughter, Elizabeth Gallagher of Roanoke, Virginia, son-in-law Sean Gallagher of Roanoke and daughter-in-law Carolyn Chester of Omaha, Nebraska, grandsons Justin Mishler, James Mishler, Christian Eriksen and Christian's wife Kiana, Alex Lamb and granddaughter Kristy Mishler Eddington. Great Grandson's Tucker, Tyson, and Myles. Great granddaughter's Peyton, Bailey and Annalisa. She was preceeded in death by her oldest son Andrew Wayne Lamb.

Services will be held Sunday, August 16, at Toledo United Methodist Church in Toledo, Oregon. 

 Service Information