PORTLAND — Patricia Jane Krueger Jacobs, 61, of Farmington, crossed the finish line of life on May 19, 2010. With the utmost strength and courage, she battled inflammatory breast cancer, always maintaining her positive attitude.

Patty was raised in Cincinnati by her father, Jack Krueger, a professional golfer who died when she was 9, and her mother, Ruth Krueger, a seamstress who then raised her alone. Patty’s creative energy guided her through challenging times. Always an artist, she was admired for her individuality, nonconformity and ability to remain true to herself. She inspired the same in so many people over the years. Now her free spirit truly soars.

In 1972, Patty and her then-husband Bertram Jacobs moved to Maine.

She had never seen the place she would call home but she was up for an adventure and ready to leave the city. She wanted nothing more than to raise a family.

In the years since, Patty devoted herself to her three children, Lou, Ruth and Max. She was proud of her natural approach to childrearing — breastfeeding for multiple years per child, making organic baby food from her garden, raising animals. She was overwhelmingly proud of the character of her adult children and all they accomplished.

Patty took great care of herself, too. Running provided her alone time, and she won multiple races and ran two marathons. She looked at her battle with cancer as her last marathon.

Advertisement

Always a giver of time and energy, Patty poured her heart into volunteer projects, most notably helping to create Everyone’s Resource Depot at UMF and fundraising for the Fairbanks School Meeting House.

Her artistic talents led Patty to create one-of-a-kind jewelry for boutiques and on commission. In 1988, she earned a bachelor’s degree from UMF in health education and later taught in Farmington schools.

Most recently, she enjoyed buying and selling antiques.

In 1994, Patty fulfilled a dream of traveling to Italy. On her own, she explored Italy and France, eating fabulous food and following her heart. There she met Angelo, whom she would continue to visit for two years until his death.

When she took a trip back, in 1997, she hired Ed Westgate to care for her lawn. Little did she know she had just found her soul mate. In Ed, Patty had the most loving companion, and the 13 years they spent together were truly a gift. Ed stood by her through her last and greatest struggle, by her side as she took her final breath.

Patty’s free-spiritedness gave energy and life to her community. She will be missed by so many, from the parents of her children’s friends to the tellers at the bank. But most of all, she will be missed by Ed and his mother, Doris; her son, Lou, his wife, Ana, and their daughter, Anca; daughter, Ruth, and her husband, Craig; son, Max, and girlfriend, Maia; and brother, Tony Krueger of Cincinnati.

She has reunited with her mother, Ruth; her gram, Irene Multner; her father, Jack; and her sister, Jackie; among many others.


Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.