Patricia Marie Heaton

Pat was born in 1942 to Stella Fogarty and Gustave Mundlin. She grew up and lived her entire life in Omaha, Nebraska. As an only child, Pat was raised to be independent and self-reliant by her mother, Stella, and her older cousins from the Johnson clan (Carolyn, Marie, Kathleen, Michael, and Jean). Pat recalled riding street cars back and forth to elementary school and was remembered by fellow students as “a very smart and pretty girl.” She graduated near the top of her class and was chosen as homecoming queen before graduating from Cathedral High School in 1960.

Pat’s mother, Stella, was an early example of a strong, professional woman during her long career at Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. Pat loved math and attended nursing school on a scholarship following her graduation with honors from high school.

While in nursing school, Pat met John Ferry who was in medical school at Creighton University. While dating John, Pat failed to impress his fellow med-students with her drinking abilities thus earning the nickname “half-beer Mundlin.” She married Dr. John Ferry and together had four children – Zane, Christopher, Susan, and Martin. 

While Pat’s first two children were still young, she worked as an office manager and medical assistant for the Omaha ophthalmologist Dr. Richard Greenberg. Later, while shuttling her children back and forth to school clubs, practices, and weekend tournaments, Pat also studied at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. In 1983 she received a BS in Business Administration with a major in Business Information Systems. Pat and John were divorced in 1984.

In the early ‘90s, Pat met Michael P. Heaton Sr., an investment firm executive, who was also divorced with three grown children. This opened an exuberant new chapter in both their lives. Pat and Mike were married in February 1998 and devoted the rest of their lives to loving one another as they travelled, rooted for Nebraska athletics teams, and enjoyed their children, and many grandkids. Excruciatingly, Mike was taken from Pat in 2020 by Covid.

Pat was a devoted mother, loyal friend, and courageous woman with strong beliefs grounded in honesty, fairness, inclusion, and respect. She was fastidious, smart, decisive, and called BS where she saw it (to both the glee and dismay of those around her.) She loved quilting, art, water aerobics, and trouncing her children and friends alike in Triominos, cribbage, and mahjong. She also loved her dear friends at Lakeside Retirement Community very, very much. Pat’s private nature was matched only by her love of laughter.

Pat is preceded in death by her mother Stella Marie, her son Christopher, and her loving husband of 22 years, Michael Heaton, Sr.   Survived by children, Zane (Valerie) Ferry, Susan Ferri, and Martin Ferry; stepchildren, Michael (Maureen) Heaton, Jr., Marcia Heaton and Matthew (Marcianne) Heaton; 14 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren; her extended family, many dear friends.

Memorial Mass Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at 1:00pm at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Elkhorn with private interment of the urn in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery.  The service can be viewed online at https://heartstreaming.link/patricia-m-heaton 

 Memorial visitation with the family one hour prior to the service at church.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Josie Harper Hospice House.