Patricia Sue Goodenow

Patricia Sue Goodenow died in Topeka on September 3, 2026. She was 79. Born in Topeka on April 2, 1947, with Midwest roots that shaped the table more than the flag. She learned early that a day is something you finish, not something you wait for. She routed fear and good news through a headset that became part of her posture. Families called her when they did not know who else to ask. Colleagues still mention a headset she wore like a second hairdo. She married Robert in 1971. They kept a house that stayed modest when the neighborhood did not. They raised a son through public schools and ordinary weather. After Robert died in 2019, she kept the routines that still made sense: the walk, the garden, the Sunday call. Neighbors remember covered dishes that arrived without a speech. She liked early mornings before the heat or the noise. She died in Topeka, among streets she never needed to explain. The extra coffee is still in the thermos.