Patricia O. Mackey

Known by most as the consummate matriarch of the Mackey family, Pat touched many lives and influenced countless people in her 86 years of life. After moving from Moscow to Lewiston at the age of 7, she graduated from Lewiston High School in 1948 before attending the University of Idaho for two years. She was an active member of the Alpha Phi sorority, and it was there that her lifelong passion for philanthropy and service began.

After college, Patricia returned to Lewiston, where she lived for the past 66 years. In 1954, she married Dr. Oliver Mackey, a handsome romantic with whom she had a fairy-tale love that still lingered after more than six decades. Ollie had an untimely passing in 1964, and despite Pat's broken heart, she remained strong and optimistic. She was a widow and the mother of three small children when she was lucky enough to meet the second great love of her life, James Givens. For 49 years, Pat and Jim were practically inseparable - you rarely saw one without the other. They built a beautiful life together with their blended family, spending their time away from working at their law office by skiing, playing tennis, faithfully attending church at St. Stanislaus, golfing and remaining active members of the Clarkston Golf and Country Club. When Pat did sneak away from Jim for a few hours, she enjoyed meeting up with her bridge group, her "lunch bunch," or her P.E.O. ladies at least once a week.

Patricia had a number of titles during her lifetime, but a few of the most important included wife, mother (and mother-in-law), sister, aunt and grandma. Family was always the most important thing to Pat's heart and it was apparent in every facet of her life. She loved each one of her family members deeply, uniquely and unconditionally. Although most of her family has lived away from Lewiston for a number of years, Patricia's absence in their lives will be felt every day. They all feel so blessed to have been such a big part of her world for so long.

Pat is survived by her loving husband, James; her children, Dan Mackey (Tammy) of Fort Collins, Colo., and Mary Knutson (Al) of Boise; daughter-in-law Kari Mackey of Lewiston; and Marcia Torrey (Jerry) of Portland, Ore., and Joan Nelson (Richard) of Sacramento, Calif.; James' children, Jim Givens (Wendy) of Boise, Jane Mueller of Seattle, Eric Givens (Lenne Jo) of Boise and Bruce Givens (Shelly) of Boise; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her son, Michael Mackey of Lewiston; her husband, Oliver Mackey; both parents; and all 10 siblings.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Stanislaus Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Patricia's generous spirit to the following organizations that were close to her heart: JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, Northwest Chapter; or the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Foundation.