Mary Pat Brueggeman, 59

Mary Pat Brueggeman died on Dec. 22, 2015, from complications of Alzheimer’s, she was 59 years old. She was born in Wallace in 1956 and was immediately diagnosed as having Down syndrome. The doctors said that she would never recognize a face or live past the age of 10. She beat all the odds!

The family moved to Coeur d’Alene in 1958, where her parents opened the Beauty Center. By dint of innovative and tireless teaching, her mother, Irene, taught her to read and write, type, play the piano, do math, handle money, shop for food, read recipes and cook. Among her more amazing talents was the ability to spell words backward. In contests with adults she never lost a race no matter how difficult the word.

After her mother’s death she continued to live in the family home for nearly 12 years. She was enormously proud of living independently and took great pleasure in cleaning, caring for and decorating her house. ResCare provided caregivers twice a week to help with the more difficult cleaning chores.

If you were fortunate enough to be on the route of her “circle walk” you were treated to her surprising wit and happy smile as she visited her friends along the way. She brought a bit of joy to everyone she met. For many years she was a fixture in the neighborhood.

For 27 years she worked at Burger King in the kitchen area. On her 25th anniversary, the franchise threw her a surprise party that delighted her beyond words. Literally, she was speechless.

Mary Pat loved watching football, baseball and basketball — but the professional teams only. No amateurs for her. She avidly watched all 49 Super Bowls, often with friends at a Super Bowl Party. In 1995, she was the guest of the Seahawks for a game against the Colts, which the Hawks lost. After the game she posed for a treasured picture with Brian Blades and Cortez Kennedy. A bit disappointed that her team had lost, all 4-foot 8-inches of her turned to the giant Kennedy and advised him: “You need to play better.”

The weather was another abiding interest. Mary Pat always knew the current temperature and the weather forecast, important to her because it determined if she would do her “circle walk” that day. She was a loyal fan of Tom Sherry’s Storm Tracker weather forecast on Channel 2.

She also kept track of all of the birthdays of all of her relatives, faithfully writing them on her St. Thomas calendar at the beginning of each year. In each weekly phone call she would faithfully announce who was having a birthday that week.

After retirement she took up the hobby of making necklaces. Shopping at Michael’s was one of her great pleasures and she never came home without several packages of beads. Over the years she made hundreds of necklaces and showed a well-developed sense of color combinations. She occasionally sold her beads but what she really loved was just making them.

Mary Pat was preceded in death by her father, Norbert, who died in 1965; and her mother, Irene. She is survived by her brother, Gary, and his wife, Shirley; by several aunts and uncles and many cousins. Among the special friends who enriched her life are Keith and Jackie Knight; caregivers Carolyn Kiehn, Linda Carter and Vicki White.

“Good night, sis, sleep tight,” was the customary ritual goodnight, to which she would always answer, “I know, I know, and don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Sleep tight, sis. There will be a graveside service held in the spring.

Yates Funeral Home has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Mary's online memorial and sign her guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.