Patricia Amelia Green, 91, passed away on March 20, 2025, at Long Term Care in Homer, Alaska. In the months prior to her death, she received exceptional, loving care from the doctors, nurses and staff of South Peninsula Hospital and Long Term Care, for which her family is grateful. In return for her care, Patricia told the staff stories of her youth, and gave them many winks and blown kisses. She loved animals, reading (a book a day up until 6 months ago), counted cross-stitch embroidery and elephants.

Patricia was born in Two Harbors, Minnesota, on November 14, 1933, to Fredrick and Nanna Musgrave, and was named Patricia because her father was nicknamed “Pat.” No one really knows why that was his nickname. Shortly after her birth, her parents divorced and she and her mother moved in with her maternal grandparents in Two Harbors, just down the street from the lighthouse on Lake Superior. Patricia took her first tugboat ride on the Edna G when she was three (3) months old.

When Patricia was 3 years old, Cecil Chayne began courting her mother. She was the flower girl in their wedding the next year and Cecil formally adopted her. As a Coast Guard family, they moved around the Great Lakes, from Two Harbors, to Sault Ste. Marie, to Chicago and finally, Duluth. Trying to fit in as a new student in a new school was always agonizing; when she lived in Chicago, 9 year old Patricia was beat up by a “pack” of fellow girls, but she never tattled on them, so soon she was under their “protection” and never had any more problems. Patricia’s mother always said she was the boss of the household, which soon included younger brothers Robert and Darrell. Hmmm, Chicago…Protection…Boss…

Patricia attended the University of Minnesota, obtaining her B.A. in Fine Arts in 1955. During that time, she met and married Edwin Anderson, and worked as a library assistant at St. Paul Public Library. As things go, Patricia and Edwin’s marriage ended after a few years, but Patricia was sparked to attend the University of Denver, where she received her M.A. in Librarianship in 1962.

While in her master’s program she met Ellsworth Harpole, also a Minnesota native, and they were married in 1962, moved back to Minnesota, and divorced in 1968. During their marriage, Patricia and Ellsworth had 3 daughters: Tracey, Leslie, and Kimberly. Patricia started work at the Minnesota Historical Society in 1963 as a librarian, and became Chief of the Reference Library there in 1973.

During her 30 year tenure at the Minnesota Historical Society, Patricia taught hundreds of classes on genealogy; assisted thousands of people on how to research their ancestors; founded and chaired the Minnesota Genealogical Society; was a member of the founding committee of Women Historians of the Midwest; served on the Board of the Minnesota Library Association; served on the St. Paul Y.W.C.A. Board of Directors, and as a delegate to the Y.W.C.A. National Convention; was a member of the American Society of Indexers and founded its Minnesota Chapter; was a member and President of the Minnesota Department of Education Office of Library Development and Service Advisory Council; was a delegate to the Minnesota Governor’s Conference on Library Services, and a delegate to the White House Conference of Library Services; and was granted the first sabbatical leave from the Minnesota Historical Society, under a grant from Charles Flandrau Fund, for research on Minnesota biographies. Patricia always said she talked too much and as a result ended up on some committee or chairing some event.

Because Patricia was so invested in genealogy, she determined she should track down her birth father, whom she had no contact with since her parents’ divorce. She said it took no longer than 45 minutes to find the current address and phone number for him and his wife. Connections were made; 2 sisters were discovered; visits occurred; and Patricia’s extended family grew.

After years of traveling to Alaska to spend time with her daughter Tracey and family, Patricia moved to Homer, AK in 2002. Just before her move, she decided she wanted to honor her grandparents with whom she had lived in her early years, so she changed her last name to theirs: Green. When Patricia arrived in Homer she immediately connected with a book club, began volunteering at the Homer Chamber of Commerce, continued crafting her counted cross stitch and indexing books, took art classes, traveled, and hosted friends and family in her new home town. Patricia said that living in Homer was the longest she EVER lived in the same house and she loved it.

Patricia loved animals. She loved them so much, that her family was never surprised when they dropped by to visit and discovered a new dog living at her house. And she always was game to “baby sit” her grandsons’ water dragons, birds, lizards, frogs, hamsters or crows. She also had a collection of elephant trinkets and curios which numbered in the 200s. Patricia is survived by her brother Darrell (Jacque) Chayne of Aurora, Co; hersister Mary (Will) Pappenheimer of Tyringham, MA; her daughters Tracey (Vincent) Tillion of Homer, AK, and Kimberly (Scott) Quale of St. Paul, MN; her grandchildren Clem Tillion, IV, and Hunter Tillion, both of Homer, AK, and Ella Quale and Jack Quale, both of St. Paul, MN; and many other loving family members and dear friends.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, both natural and adopted, her brother Robert Chayne and her sister Kathryn Musgrave, and her daughter Leslie (Nick Guarino) Harpole.

A Celebration of Life will be held this summer in Halibut Cove, AK, where her ashes will be interred. Gifts of remembrance can be made to Homer Animal Friends in her memory. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 2300, Homer, AK 99603, and put “in memory of Patricia Green” on the memo line; or go to homeranimals.org and donate by becoming a member and posting it to her memory.