Patricia Zobel

Patricia Anne Zobel, 83, passed away July 25, 2021 surrounded by family. Patty was born March 18, 1938 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a young child she lived in St. Cloud and Caledonia, Minnesota until the family settled in St. Paul. She had many fond memories of growing up with her 4 younger siblings in the bungalow on Dayton Street. She attended Catholic School and graduated from Our Lady of Peace High School in St. Paul. Soon after, she became active in the worker movement and answered the call to move to Chicago and serve as an organizer for the Young Christian Workers. That led her to move to Detroit in 1960 where she became more active in the civil rights movement. She was proud to participate in the Walk to Freedom march, where Martin Luther King, Jr. first delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Detroit. Patty and 3 friends rented a townhouse in Highland Park in the mid-’60s. She met Francis “Mike” Zobel around this time, and they rented a flat on Ford St. 1970 was a big year: she and Mike married, and they bought their house on Farrand Park and a piece of land near Lake Michigan in Good Hart. Their only child, Anne, was born in 1972. She was very active in civic life in Highland Park, serving on the board of the Lions Club. In 1984, Patty returned to work and served as manager of the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce. She remained in this role until her first cancer diagnosis in 1993. Over the next 28 years, the only thing she did more frequently than defeat cancer was travel the world. She and Mike, along with friends and family, explored the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland and Spain, and Australia and New Zealand. This was when they weren’t enjoying their summer home in Good Hart. Patty leaves behind her husband Mike and daughter Anne Zobel of Highland Park; sister Nancy Cullen of Brooklyn Park, MN; brothers Tom and John of St. Paul, MN and Richard (“Pat”) of Evanston, IL; 17 nieces and nephews; 11 great nieces and nephews and 4 honorary grandchildren. Visitation will be on August 6 from 2pm to 6pm at Andrews Funeral Home at 12809 Rosa Parks, Detroit, MI 48238. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 7. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ruth Ellis Center or Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

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