Pat Brach

S. Patrice Brach, age 86, was born August 7, 1934 and passed away peacefully in her home on October 30, 2020.

S. Patrice Brach, always known as “Pat” was born and raised in Fruita, CO. She was the youngest of 10 children born to Cecil Katie and Floyd Dale Skeels. She graduated from Fruita Union High School in 1952, met and married Thomas R. Brach of Fruita in November 1953.  They made their home in Grand Junction and resided there for the rest of their lives. They raised two children together, Susan and Tommy.

In her early years of employment Pat worked at C.D.  Smith Co. where they wore roller skates to go among the shelves to fill orders and was a cashier at Woolworths downtown.  She held a secretarial position at the City of Grand Junction and was an Office Manager for a local Psychiatrist.  In 1982 she decided she wanted to have her own business so she bought Grand Valley Maintenance Co., a commercial janitorial service, which she owned and operated until 1997 when she sold the business to her daughter and son-in-law.  She continued to work for them until 2013 when she reluctantly retired.

Pat was a charter member of American Business Women’s Association and attended for many years.  She was elected Businesswoman of the Year several times.

Being around family and friends was what Pat enjoyed the most.  She was easy to talk to and a good listener so her hearing loss was especially distressing to her because it made it harder to have those good conversations.  She was friendly and helpful, generous, honest and always tried to be non-judgmental and treat people fairly.

She was a loving, nurturing Mom who always gave of herself. She was an active participant in all of our lives and supportive of whatever activity or project we might have been doing. She adored her granddaughters and in the last few years being “GG” to her great granddaughters brought her much joy.

She was an animal lover.  There was always a dog and a few cats roaming around but there were also hamsters, chameleons, parakeets, et al. They were “for the kids’ but she was the one who cared for and enjoyed them the most.

Pat was a long time dedicated member of the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church.  She had a strong love and faith in God and tried to live the kind of life that would reflect that in her life and pass it on to others.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Tom in 1996, her son Tommy in 2014, eight siblings and other much loved family members.

She is survived by her daughter Susan (Mark) Bautch, her sister Madalynn Schaffer of Adams, OR, 2 granddaughters Chelbe(Kyle)Coltrinari, Zoe Brach, 2 great granddaughters Bristol and Ellison Coltrinari, nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held at a later date.