Patsy served the Fairfax community at a number of establishments, including The Bear’s Den.
Patsy Monroe graduated from Craig High School in 1952.
Pictured celebrating the Brandts’ 25th wedding anniversary are Patsy and her husband, Francis, and their children, Phyllis, Nancy, and Donnie.
Patsy Brandt of Fairfax, Missouri, celebrated her 90th birthday on Monday, June 17.
On a gorgeous summer morning, Patsy Brandt, her daughter, Nancy Harrington, and great-granddaughter, Berkley, sat out on the porch to talk to our reporter about the amazing life Patsy has led, one which has spanned 90 years.
Patsy Ann Monroe was born on June 17, 1934, to Cleo and Lester Monroe. Although she was born in Missouri, the family lived on the Missouri/Iowa line close to Hamburg, Iowa. Lester worked for the railroad. As a young child, Patsy and her family, which also included a brother, moved to a farm near Craig, Missouri. Patsy spent her time on the farm milking cows, feeding chickens and collecting their eggs, and also helping with the ducks, geese, goats, and other farm animals. She said the only animal they didn’t have was a turkey, but her grandmother had a cantankerous one that had to be penned up when they went over. She even once had a pet squirrel, and now makes sure to always provide food for the ones lucky enough to live in the trees around her house.
Patsy received her education at Star and Brush College schoolhouses, before attending and graduating from Craig High School in 1952.
In 1955, she married Francis Brandt. While her husband worked on tractors at International and farmed some, Patsy stayed home, running the home place and raising the children, Phyllis Jean, Donnie Eugene, and Nancy Sue, as well as chickens. The family moved from Craig, Missouri, to the Whitford place outside of Fairfax, and then to another farm until the well went bad there, and then they moved to town. The house they moved into in Fairfax was originally situated near the school, but was eventually relocated to the 200 block of South Broadway, where Patsy still lives to this day.
Never one to sit idle, Patsy didn’t kick up her feet and relax when the youngest began attending school. Instead, she began a long career of service at a number of Fairfax establishments, including the laundromat, Helen Thiesfeld’s clothing store, Kerr’s Grocery store, The Walnut Shop, Hunter’s Grocery, The Bear’s Den, and the convenience store. She also babysat for other families in Fairfax.
When not working or minding the children, Patsy enjoyed attending church in Craig and then the Fairfax Baptist Church, where she’s been a member for 25 years. Over the years, she’s enjoyed gardening, sewing and embroidering, reading, doing word books, feeding the squirrels and hummingbirds, and watching “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Daniel O’Donnell Show” on RFD-TV. Patsy is so taken with O’Donnell, an Irish singer, that she’s even got some of her family members watching his show now and was able to receive a recorded message from him that her family got for her. Patsy enjoys visiting with neighbors and friends and recalled a trip to St. Joseph with her friend, Betty Johnson, that included a tire blowout. Seeing that the women were unable to operate the jack, a nice trucker pulled over and put on the spare for the ladies, free of charge of course.
Good people and friendly neighbors, having family members close by, and staying busy and active most of her life is what Patsy attributes to her longevity. Sadly, her husband Francis passed away in 1995 at the age of 65. But with her children, nine grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren, she is not alone. Even her great-grandson Nash regularly visits and helps her out around the house, even helping her with her hair. Her health has taken some bad turns a few times, but she recovered and is taking it one day at a time, enjoying living in the moment, surrounded by a loving family and a beautiful community.
