Patricia Schuster

On Sept. 11, 2020 Pat Schuster passed away peacefully at the age of 95. Pat was the proud great grandmother of four, grandmother of eight, and mother of three.

Pat was born Jan. 19, 1925 in Pipestone, Minn. to Charlie and Hulda Gillin and was sister to Kay Wilson. She graduated from Pipestone High School, where she was also a singer and cheerleader and attended one year at Carlton College in Northfield, Minn., where she also sang on ABC Radio frequently. She joined her sister in Minneapolis during WWII, working there and living with many friends that she stayed close to her entire life. Pat met Gordon Schuster, her husband of 66 years, in Minneapolis during WWII and married him in 1946.

Pat developed an early love of horses from riding with her father, Charlie, who kept five gated show horses that he would ride at the Minnesota State Fair competitions. Gordon and Pat moved from the Edina, Minn. Country Club neighborhood to a working farm, also in Edina, in 1959, near Braemar Park where they raised horses, cattle, sheep, ducks, geese and had large vegetable gardens providing a farm life for the entire family.

Pat’s extensive circle of friends was continually expanding due to her inclusive, social nature. She would make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room. Her quick wit and sense of humor made her the life of any gathering. Her love of family brought the family together even when scattered around the U.S.A. Her love of the outdoors allowed her to accompany her husband, Gordon, on many of his extensive hunting trips to Africa, Mexico, Canada, Alaska and, of course, their favorite hunting and fishing spots in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Pat’s prowess as a golfer, with two holes-in-one, took her to many golfing events with her wide range of friends in both Minnesota and Arizona that comprised an important part of her life and instilled the same love of sports with her children. She never missed a Minnesota Viking football game her entire life and was always enthusiastic about the home team’s chance regardless of the pundits’ projections.

Pat became heavily involved in her children’s school life through constant parent volunteer projects and spent many years leading the Jr. Choir at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina while also singing in the church’s Sr. Choir as well as serving and both Deacon and Elder. Pat became heavily involved with Courage Center, Golden Valley, Minn., raising money for this renowned rehabilitation organization raising millions for them over the years. Pat and her close friends started the Auxiliary for Courage Center developing a program for ongoing fund raising that has been a model for many other similar non-profits. Pat was a mainstay cheerleader for her kids’ sporting events, games and tournaments. She could be seen standing in the snow drifts of outdoor hockey games or cheering for her sons’ football or baseball games as well as spending days at her daughter’s horse jumping events across the state. Her organizational skills often resulted in getting her volunteered to manage the teams and keep everyone on schedule. Pat’s roots in Pipestone were also always important to her as she maintained close friendships with her childhood friends there as well as contributing to building the Hiawatha Lodge built for the community at the Pipestone National Monument just outside town. She contributed her time and money to many community service organizations that always considered her an important philanthropic supporter, cheerleader and fund raiser.

Pat Schuster is survived by her three children, Katie Hines (Chris) of Fountain Hills, Martin Schuster (Martha) of Wayzata, Minn., and Tom Schuster (Anne Gerlach) of Milwaukee, Wis. There will be a memorial service for Pat in January 2021 in Fountain Hills, with the time and place TBD. In lieu of flowers, donations should go to: Courage Center, Golden Valley, Minn.