Pat Pelch - 1945-2013
Pat was in the Class of 2005 and sang a joyful lead with the chorus for two years before moving west to Victoria. She stepped out her box to sing a cappella but loved her time with the Orangeville Chorus. While she was with us, the chorus produced a CD, All Fired Up, and Pat donated one of her amazing art works for the cover of the CD. Pat had a very sweet nature and, even though we knew we would miss her, we wished her well in her move to Victoria.
In January 2010, Pat suffered a severe stroke which took her on a long and difficult life journey. This stroke led to dementia which, after a four-year struggle, took her life. She died peacefully on December 17, 2013 at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital, aged 68. Pat leaves behind Rod, her devoted husband of 34 years, her sisters, Betty (Ed), Johann (Russ) and brother Andy (Donna) as well as six nephews and nieces - Todd, Andrea, Terry, David, Katie, and Dan. Pat will be missed by her step-sons, Geoff (Jody), Mike (Zan) and their children - Ruby, Sophie, Amelie and Jordan.
Patricia Pelech Carrow lived her childhood years in Bellis, Alberta. Pat was 11 when her father died, and her mother, Fiona Pelech, moved the family to Edmonton where Pat attended high school and university. During those years, Pat was very involved in the Ukrainian community. She was a founding member and President of the Shumka Ukrainian Dance Group which over the years has gone on to achieve national and international recognition.
She graduated from the University of Alberta in 1965 with a B.Sc. degree and went on to work as a research technician in microbiology with the Canadian Forest Service in Victoria. During these years Pat developed her creative skills in pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs), painting and Ukrainian weaving, which she taught at the Banff Centre for several summers.
In 1978, Pat changed careers in 1978 and attended the Ontario College of Art, graduating in 1981 with a Diploma in Textile Design. She focused for several years on the use of colour and experimental design in ethnic weaving; many of her pieces are in the Ukrainian Museum in Saskatoon.
Eventually Pat found the medium too restrictive, and while she was teaching at the New Brunswick Craft School from 1982 to 1985, she moved into a new medium - collage. For the next 20 years, Pat developed her creative abilities in collage, using a surprising range of materials and becoming renowned for her use of colour. Her choice of collage materials astounded many of her friends - porcupine quills, tree bark, fungus, rust and anything else that one might find in a recycling container. Pat's works were exhibited in galleries across Canada, from Fredericton to Victoria.
Pat's other creative outlet was the kitchen. She was famous for being able to come up with a tasty meal when there didn't appear to be anything in the fridge, and her 'diagonally through the fridge soups, though delicious, were never reproducible.
