Lynn Pate McKee Obituary (1943 - 2020)

Lynn Pate McKee joined this world on January 1, 1943 and departed this world the morning of December 8, 2020. She was born in Nampa, Idaho to Leslie Herman Pate and Phyllis Loretta Hoeffler and had one sibling, her brother Eugene Leslie Pate. She attended BYU and then The University of Utah, but suspended the pursuit of education to start a family. She later graduated from Weber State University with a B.S. in Science, specializing in Nursing. Our Mother loved the people in her life. Her family is so much bigger than her husband of fifty-five years, the five children she raised, eight grandkids she cherished and one great grandson she adored. Lynn LOVED football, never missing any Dallas Cowboys broadcast, even if it meant marching her children out of the middle of sacrament meeting to see the kickoff. She was an avid Jazz fan who saved every ticket stub and programs from all the games she went to. She rooted for BYU and was a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan. She was an amazing homemaker; juggling work, meal planning, and preparation and kept an immaculate home, all while wrangling five rambunctious children, and made it seem effortless. Lynn was a passionate reader devouring at least three books a week. She worked hard all day to have time to sit down and read and watch the nightly news. She enjoyed being in the mountains, camping as often as she could even by herself. She had campsites she liked at Smith and Moorhouse, Redmond and Zions Campground. She would read and wait for the deer and moose to walk by. Lynn was the embodiment of strength and stability, faith, selflessness, and a desire to help others. She worked as a recovery nurse at Jordan Valley Hospital but was also the neighborhood nurse; grabbing her stethoscope and blood pressure cuff and running out the door late at night to help whoever it was that needed it. She could cure an upset stomach with a washcloth and Pepsi, and heal a skinned knee by slapping your leg and blowing on the wound. Her day always started with the newspaper, toast, and a Diet Coke. She loved to walk and took a daily tour of the neighborhood. She was active in the Relief Society and was a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. She loved to make holiday decorations. She would always Deck the Halls with Christmas being her favorite. Lynn had two green thumbs and had beautiful flowers in all her gardens and orchids always blooming. She was constantly at war with leaves on the front lawn. She had many, many friends - some old, some new - either way her heart was open to you. Time spent with her was always full of cheer, smiles and laughter. The most important thing to her was her family. She said once she had no idea what she was doing trying to raise children, so she just did what she thought was right. She worked so hard to feed us two colors of vegetables at every meal, keep us in warm clothes, teach us valuable life lessons and be a moderator when the boys were fighting with each other, which was often. Lynn’s faith was solid and strong. She was a confident, powerful woman who made you smile without effort. If we remember that smile and the way she laughed with everyone and keep that in our hearts, she will live with us forever as she watches over us from the mountain top football stadium God built for her to read in when she returned to him. She is survived by her good husband Gary Howard her children: Adam S. (Shannon), Kathy (Todd), Gary (Nicky), Andrew and Matt. Her great grandchildren Brianna Lynn (James), Talon, Jackson, Cason, Aiden, Abby, Euan and Severan, great grandson Wyatt, and most importantly; Maizie her dog. We already miss you terribly. You always said “time heals all wounds” but some of us might not heal until we meet with you again. Lynn, wife, mom, grandma, aunt, neighbor, friend: thank you for being a light in a dark place, warmth when our hearts were cold, a steady hand that guided us, taught us, and gave us unparalleled love friendship, service and kindness. We will miss you always! There will be a private interment and a celebration of life at a later date.