Patricia Liebers

Monday, March 27, 2023 3:42 pm

Patricia Jane Liebers, 68, of Waverly, died Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, at home of pancreatic cancer.

Pat was born June 22, 1954, at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Waverly where her mother Lilian Liebers (Schmidt) was a registered nurse. She was confirmed at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, graduated from Waverly High School in 1972, and received a diploma from Hawkeye Tech in automobile maintenance. She later attended University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and Macalester College in St Paul. She rebuilt engines at Tate Cadillac/Honda in Waterloo and after receiving a BFA in art, then moved to Decorah to work at Anundsen Publishing where she came to love pictures of cows while composing auction bills.

She loved to explore the byways of rural Iowa and the little towns, thrift shops and hardware stores. She enjoyed garage sale bargains and had a flair for assembling scenes with themes to sell at farmers markets and consignment stores.She married Dean Witzke in 1981 and they owned and operated the Café Deluxe. After their 1998 divorce she moved to Chelan, Wash., where she managed the gift shop at Holden Village. After her aunt Ruth Meyer died in 2012, she and longtime companion Chad Thornsberry moved to the rural Waverly homestead she had known from childhood. She loved the place, knew every inch, and remembered who planted which tree and flower.

After 21 years of joy, she and Chad exchanged vows on Jan. 15, 2022. She survived cancer three times but was then found with cancer of the bile duct and pancreas. After a four-month ordeal, she finally received adequate pain control. After two good nights of sleep at last, she passed away peacefully Monday morning.

She was preceded by her former husband Dean Witzke; her father, Mandon; mother, Lilian; sister, Myrna; and brother, Howard.She is survived by her husband Chad, her brother, Mel (wife Mary Ellen) and their daughter, Kate.Her lifelong friend Claudia Boss was a godsend during her final illness.

Pat had a talent for friendship and leaves many friends in Decorah, Waverly and Chelan and others spread across the country.She will be dearly missed.

There will be no formal services. Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly assisted the family.