STEVENSVILLE – Patricia Jo Pagnotta, 62, died peacefully at home with her family by her side in Stevensville on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011. Patty had been valiantly battling stomach cancer throughout 2011.

Patty started her fight for life at birth after arriving two months premature in Wolf Point on Dec. 17, 1949. The oldest of seven children of Joe and Patricia Hathaway, she was raised in Glendive. She graduated from Dawson County High School in 1968 and later graduated from Eastern Montana College with a degree in psychology.

Her first job after graduation was at the Montana Developmental Center in Boulder, where she met her husband and soul mate, Gary Pagnotta. She was married in 1974 and moved to Bozeman.

While in Bozeman, she worked at Family Outreach and started raising her two boys, Jason and Nick. She spent hundreds of hours attending and watching numerous sporting events. She was the voice of reason and compassion in a house dominated by sports and competition. Patty worked for STEP in Billings helping families of children with disabilities. While working and raising two kids, Patty achieved her master’s degree in early childhood development.

After seeing both kids through high school and college, Patty and Gary fulfilled their wish of spending their remaining lives in western Montana and moved to Stevensville in 2004. Patty worked at the Hamilton Middle School as a counselor. She was always grateful for the wonderful and gracious co-workers whom she considered dear friends.

By example, Patty taught all of us toughness, courage and stoicism as a big sister, wife, friend and mother. While battling her second bout with cancer, Patty continued to work full time as well as volunteer as a tour guide at the St. Mary’s Mission in Stevensville. She enjoyed traveling and cherished spending time with her three granddaughters.

Patty was preceded in death by her husband Gary in 2006 as well as her father Joe and brother Mark. She is survived by her sons, Jason (Monica) of Tucson, Ariz., and Nick (Melissa) of Missoula; mother Patricia of Glendive; brothers Pete (Marlo) Hathaway of Tucson and Paul (Colleen) Hathaway of Madison, Wis.; sisters Molly (Scott) Reed of Phoenix, Teresa Roe of Glendive and Ann (Ron) Frazer of Billings; granddaughters Liliana, Sofia and Mallory; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Stevensville.

Please send donations in lieu of flowers to Ravalli Services Corp., 219 Pennsylvania Ave., Hamilton, MT 59840.

Patty’s family would like to express their gratitude to the Hamilton Middle School faculty and students for all their support during this difficult time