Patricia Lynn Little

WORCESTER - Patricia Lynn Little died peacefully at home in the early morning hours of May 14 with her family and her beloved French Bulldog JoJo at her bedside. Pat was born on February 7, 1952 in Madison, Wisconsin, the eldest daughter of Robert and Ruth Schwenkert. She graduated from Madison West High School and earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. On June 2, 1974, Pat wed Douglas Little, to whom she was married for nearly fifty-two years. She worked as a public health nurse in Ithaca, New York for four years before moving to Worcester in 1978. A stay-at-home mom while her children Colin and Alison were little, Pat put her seamstress and needlepoint skills to work and set up “Blue Jean Baby,” a tiny business that sold monogrammed coveralls for toddlers. She went back to school at UMASS-Lowell, earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree in 1994, and became a family nurse practitioner.

Pat worked in college health for Clark University and WPI before moving to Doherty High School in 1997, where she staffed UMASS-Memorial’s school-based health center. Ten years later, she joined the Family Health Center of Worcester, where she helped establish the health center at Elm Park Community School. Pat retired in 2015 and spent her spare time doing what she loved most—knitting, gardening, bird watching, and relaxing with her pets.

In June 2016, Pat developed leiomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. She faced her diagnosis with grace, grit, and good humor, undergoing more than nine years of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy while continuing to cook delicious meals, tend her flowers, and catch up with friends. Throughout her long ordeal, Pat displayed amazing courage, resilience, and gentleness of spirit, none of which surprised anyone. During her final weeks, she managed to share much love and laughter with those closest to her. Pat brought joy to everyone who crossed her path and practiced kindness every day.

Pat will be lovingly remembered by her husband Doug, her son Colin (Rosemary Abbitt), her daughter Alison, and her sister Barbara Schwenn (Rodney Umlas). She will be dearly missed by her brother-in-law Jim Little (Donna Mondloch) and her sisters-in-law Kellie Johnson (Mike Donnelly) and Annette Little. Other survivors include her nieces Kerry Kresl and Annika Feaman, her nephews Kevin Wiskow, Adam Little, Eric Little, and Josh Showalter, her grandsons Henry and Raymond Little, and many other extended family members and cherished friends. And, of course, Paul McCartney, who filled her world with silly love songs.

Pat’s family is extremely grateful to the Jewish Healthcare Center’s hospice team and the staff at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the UMASS-Memorial hospitals for providing her with the best care imaginable. In particular, we thank Dr. Matthew Hemming of the UMASS Sarcoma Lab for treating Pat with extraordinary skill and compassion. In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s memory may be made to the UMASS “Sarcoma Research-Hemming Fund” at www.umassmed.edu/sarcomalab.

Pat’s Celebration of Life will be held at Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main Street, Holden, Massachusetts, in late July.  www.milesfuneralhome.com