Patrick E. Moriarty Obituary
After several years of declining health and care provided at home by his family and hospice staff, Patrick Edward Moriarty, R.Ph., completed his journey among us on December 23, 2023.
Born to Joseph Edward and Ruth Christine (Karlson) Moriarty on July 19, 1953, Patrick (Pat) was the second of three children and their only son.
He grew up in Superior, WI, as the middle child with two sisters. He began college at the University of Wisconsin–Superior and then achieved his professional pharmacy degree in 1977 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1974, he met his best friend, Judith Detert, while both were working in the WI State Assembly and they married on the UW campus four years later.
He was employed as a pharmacist in Ashland, Fond du Lac, West Bend, and Manitowoc (WI); and as pharmacy manager in Austin (MN), Beloit, and Janesville (WI). He was esteemed by customers and coworkers alike for being fiercely dedicated to providing excellence in quality care to his customers not only as a pharmacist but also as a trusted friend. His health forced him to retire after 42 years of practice.
Pat enjoyed numerous camping trips to Isle Royale National Park, explored the American West on road trips, and traveled to Ireland to visit the land of his Irish ancestors. He never missed an opportunity to attend a UW-Badger basketball or hockey game, and he held season football tickets for many decades. He was also always looking for someone to engage in a good game of chess or cribbage.
Nothing was more important to him than family and he found his greatest joy in spending time with his children and grandchildren. Pat’s greatest pride was in their accomplishments throughout their education and later in their professional careers. He was a loving and devoted son, husband, father, and grandfather who always had advice to instill a love of family, of learning, of respect for others, and finding joy in life no matter the circumstances. Though illness plagued his body in his final years, it never dulled his wry sense of humor and his adroitness as a proverbial Irishman storyteller.
Pat was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers-in-law, Donald Howard and Steve Kalland. He is survived by his wife; his sisters, Linda Howard and Candy Kalland; children and spouses Colin and Jennifer Moriarty (Littleton, CO), Eleanor and Judd Taylor (Thornton, CO), and Dylan Moriarty (Washington, DC); and four grandsons, Theodore and Elliott Moriarty and Arthur and Joseph Taylor.
The family extend their gratitude to the staff of Mercy Hospice for their kindness and care. Pat left this world as he lived — on his own terms. No more hospitalizations. No more pain. And, by his own request, there will be no funeral nor memorial service. Let us all be glad for the beginning and vivaciousness of Pat’s life that did exist. Let’s celebrate that we were all so very privileged to have shared and been a part of it.
