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Patricia Ann Weekly went home to be with Jesus and reunite with her beloved husband on June 29, 2022. She was 91 years of age.
Patricia Ann Ronk was born on January 14, 1931, to Josephine (Jennings) Ronk and Kenneth Ronk. Her childhood was lived in the Myrtle Creek and Boomer Hill area. During the time when it was expected for young ladies to be indoors learning domestic skills, Patricia would quickly complete any required indoor chores and bolt for the outdoors where she was the happiest. She would follow her father around while he worked, hunted, or gardened, and often got in trouble for pulling off his back pockets while hanging on to try and keep up. Naturally drawn to animals of any sort, she was always teaching tricks to dogs, cats, goats, or any other creature she could get her hands on. Her childhood years were spent working on the family land, attending school, socializing, and playing sports. Being naturally athletic with a fierce competitive spirit, she thrived in softball and volleyball. Though funds were very limited, her family and friends found a way for her to eventually have her own horse and tack. This led her to be the queen of the Myrtle Creek Saddle Pals Rodeo and eventually to her passion of horse training.
Patricia graduated from Myrtle Creek High School in 1949 the same year as her husband-to-be, Richard Weekly. They were married in June of 1950 and began their lives together living between Valley Falls and Boomer Hill as what was called “suitcase farmers.” They continued this lifestyle for their first five years of marriage. During this season they enjoyed many adventures with their best friends, Bob and Gwen Brown, and hunted and rode horseback whenever and wherever they could. Her love of horses continued to grow as did her knowledge of how to break and train them.
Patricia had many accomplishments, but she would have said her greatest achievement was becoming a mother with the birth of her son, Kenneth, in December of 1955. Though not a typical mother of that generation, she intensely loved her son. They would often wrestle and play together until “Kenny” became too big and strong, and Richard had to put an end to the roughhousing.
Before long, Pat made the decision to pursue training and breaking horses as a career rather than just a hobby. In an era and region where this was not the normal occupation for a woman, she broke the mold and set out to earn the respect of those who would say she could not do it. She was a student of some of the top trainers and would spend long days putting her knowledge into practice and her evenings voraciously reading and studying training books. When Richard presented her with the choice of building a new home or building an indoor arena and training facility, the choice was an easy one for Pat: she chose the latter. With the opening of this new chapter, Pat’s life became full beyond measure. Taking in animals considered hopeless cases, training them, and turning out well-broke horses, she slowly earned the reputation of a professional horse trainer and the grudging admiration of others in the horse world. Over the years, she took on many students as well and had a huge impact in the lives and futures of many young ladies. Often pushing these young women to, and sometimes beyond, the limits they thought possible, she helped them grow into accomplished horsewomen. She also competed in various shows along the West Coast and won countless ribbons, trophies, and prizes. She was truly in her element while riding her horse in a show ring and was in constant competition with herself to do better and hone her expertise. This drive to compete and work toward perfection overflowed into her baking as well, and she participated in and won several cooking contests with her bread, pies, and cookies. She also led 4H horse clubs and was pivotal in the founding of the Lake County Horsemen’s Association.
Pat’s love of horses transferred to mules in the 1990s. She and Richard spent much of their retirement years taking mules to shows and trail riding all around Oregon and Arizona. When her much-loved stable and cherished mules were lost in a fire at the end of that decade, Pat was heartbroken. She and Richard were not able to replace the building but built a small barn and outdoor arena and found a couple more mules to work with. Pat competitively showed her mules into her 70s and continued riding into her 80s.
Patricia’s strong faith guided her through her life and gave her the strength to persevere. She impacted her family greatly through her devotion, taking her grandchildren to church, and being in prayer constantly for her loved ones. She saw the fruit of her oft-repeated prayers answered when her husband became a believer in his late 60s. It was a blessing for her to then be able to attend church faithfully as husband and wife for the next two decades. They were married for 69 years when Richard passed away. Pat called him her “rudder” and would say that he was her guide, biggest supporter, and fan; he believed in her even when she doubted herself.
Patricia is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Kim; grandson and wife, Joseph and Tara; granddaughter and husband Susie and Matthew; and multiple great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the Lakeview Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, July 9, 2022, at 11:00 AM with a potluck to follow in the fellowship hall.
Memorial contributions can be made in Pat’s memory to the Lake County Senior Association, 11 North G Street, Lakeview, OR 97630, the Lakeview Home Health & Hospice 700 South J Street, Lakeview, OR 97630, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
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