Patricia Marie Charles Went (“Patty”) passed away March 16, 2026, at the age of 89 at Mary’s Woods in Lake Oswego, OR., surrounded by her family.
Patty was born on November 21, 1936, in Columbus OH, the sixth of seven children in a loving, boisterous Irish Catholic family. She attended St. Mary of the Springs Dominican High School in Columbus, and then Maryville College in St. Louis MO where she received her BA. Patty met and married Burton H. Went in 1960, a union that gave them both great joy for more than 65 years.
She and Burt raised their family raised their family in Columbus, Ohio, and were active participants in the life of their Birchmont Road neighborhood and their Parish of St. Timothy. While raising their family, she returned to school to earn a Master’s Degree in Education at The Ohio State University and enjoyed a 23-year career in special education in the Worthington OH school system. She was a dedicated mother, great neighbor, and a devoted friend to many.
After Patty and Burt’s children started their lives and families far from Columbus, the two retired to Oregon and built their dream house in Manzanita’s, steps from the beach, and close to native steelhead runs. There she became involved in 4H teaching sewing through 4H, learned to make quilts, and volunteered in the local public library as well as at the Pine Grove Community Center. She took great joy in her garden, quilting, foraging for mushrooms, blackberries and huckleberries, and helping Burt pick grapes for winemaking. She was a voracious reader, was always in a book club wherever she found herself, and quick to suggest her favorites. In Manzanita, she loved hosting her grandchildren Cora, Charlie, Bridget and Isabel, and watching them grow up.
Her latest chapter brought her to Mary’s Woods in Lake Oswego, where her gregarious nature and quick wit endeared her to many in short order.
She was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Peter, James, and William, and her sister Isabel. She is survived by her sisters Josephine (McGinnis) and Sara (Charles Kennedy). She will be missed by her dearly loved husband Burton H. Went, her children Burton (Nancy Giragosian), Greg (Lauri Shanahan), Megan Cifarelli (Paul Sanchez), grandchildren Charlie and Isabel Cifarelli, Cora Wyent (Emily), Bridget Went (Peter Yaworsky), and great granddaughter Elise Wyent. She is also survived by Nancy McLaughlin Sackson (Howard, Clare and Etienne), the daughter of a childhood friend whom Patty and Burt welcomed into their home at a time of great need and continued to nurture.
A woman of many words, a ready smile, and an amazing sense of humor, irreverent personality, she will be deeply missed.
A funeral mass for Patricia will be celebrated on April 16th at 11AM in the Chapel of the Holy Names at Mary’s Woods, followed by a private burial. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Patty’s memory to the North Coast Land Conservancy at
nclctrust.org or by check to:
North Coast Land Conservancy (or simply NCLC)
PO Box 67
Seaside, OR 97138
memo: in memory of Patty Went
or workshops I hold at Sea Dream in Nehalem. I also provide reflexology and health coaching services. I believe in strong community ties leading to good health and I serve on the board of directors for the Nehalem Bay Health Center and Pharmacy. I’m working to open a wellness sanctuary in Nehalem called Bethany. More details about that in the future. Today I’m here with an offer and request. I’m seeking founders club members to help me pay for an Acupressure Teacher Training. This is a program with live virtual classes alongside the person I’ve followed for the past 20+years, Michael Reed Gach PhD of 
