Patricia Lee Moffett

Patricia Lee Moffett (Kowertz) was born in Sedalia, Missouri on February 8, 1941 to Dorothy Favorite and Orlyn Kowertz. Dorothy’s parents, Jesse and Carrie Favorite, began raising Patricia when she was two years old and called her “Patsy.” The three of them lived together in a little white house near Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Missouri. Patsy’s grandparents provided her with the love and stability she needed, as well as enforcing the importance of education. She attended a small private elementary school, and on Sundays, attended First Presbyterian Church with her grandparents. She and her friends, with whom she maintained a lifelong closeness, made memories and mischief on the sidewalks and streets of their little town. On the weekends, Patsy periodically took the train to Kansas City to visit her mother, who was a prominent, classically-trained pianist performing in the jazz clubs there. 

Upon the passing of both grandparents when Patsy was 10-years-old, her mother returned to Warrensburg. This was a difficult transition for Patsy; though she loved her mother, Dorothy’s bohemian lifestyle, chemical dependencies, and mental illness thrust the responsibilities of adulthood on her at a very young age. Although Patsy’s grandparents had left her bonds enough to pay for college, her mother used them to buy a baby grand piano. So, in order to save money for college and help pay household expenses, Patsy took various jobs from singing for local bands, to waitressing in the Ozarks during the summer. Once she had graduated from high school, Patsy’s mother granted her permission to become “Trish”—the burgeoning adult version of herself with dreams and aspirations beyond Warrensburg, Missouri.

After moving to Kansas City, during the summer before college, Trish was hired to be a nanny for Clyde and Marty Nichols, the son and daughter-in-law of Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza founder, J.C. Nichols. Marty was a progressive and educated woman who not only provided Trish with love and warmth, but included her in holiday affairs—even buying her a stylish cashmere sweater and skirt set that she wore often, as it made her feel like a sophisticated young woman. 

Trish completed her first year at Christian College for Women in Columbia, MO as a voice major, and in 1960, transferred into nursing school at the University of Missouri, where her brother was attending medical school. During her sophomore year, she met a junior engineering student named Roger Moffett while they worked together on the Student’s World Fair project. Roger was the introverted and stable antidote to her extroverted and free-spirited self, and the two of them corresponded daily by mail while Roger completed a work-study program in Italy that summer. Once he returned, and after he graduated, Roger and Trish married and drove across the country to San Fernando Valley, CA, where Roger had landed a job. Trish went back to school and earned a BA in Elementary Education from the University of California at Northridge in 1965, while Roger saved money and vacation time for a three-week European honeymoon. Together they were captivated by ancient history as they traversed varying architectural and cultural landscapes; for the rest of their lives, international travel remained a priority. 

Back in Northridge, CA, Trish began teaching fourth-grade at Beckford Elementary, where she taught from 1965 until 1971, when Roger was transferred to Kansas City. Teachers weren’t allowed to teach while “showing” at the time, so she took leave during her pregnancy with Derek in 1968. The family found a home in Overland Park, Kansas and Trish began another fourth-grade teaching job at Prairie Elementary in Prairie Village, KS. This time she was able to continue teaching during her pregnancy with daughter Susan, who was born in 1973. Trish championed “the buddy system,” where her fourth graders were encouraged to develop meaningful relationships with special-education students and to be involved with the Special Olympics Field Day. 

In 1976, in the midst of bicentennial classroom activities and mothering a young family, Trish went in for a physical examination where it was discovered she had stage four breast cancer. She immediately underwent a double mastectomy and a year of aggressive chemotherapy. Not only that, but amid her treatment, Roger was transferred back to California. After the family relocated, she “took it easy” while continuing treatments and becoming American Cancer Society’s coordinator for “Reach for Recovery.” As she recovered and began to feel better, she became the first P.T.O. president at Nelson Elementary, where her children attended school, a den mother for Derek’s Cub Scout troop, volunteered in Susan’s kindergarten class, hosted two Japanese exchange students in her home, and slowly eased her way back into teaching as a part-time traveling Resource Specialist who developed units for gifted children. That year, in 1979, she was named “Mother of the Year” by the Voice of Peppertree Homeowners Association in Tustin, CA. Yet, as involved as they had become in their local community, their Midwest roots called, and Roger accepted what would be his last transfer in 1981. Roger and Trish chose a house in a new Overland Park development called Nottingham Forest which would become their family home for the rest of their lives.

Once settled, Trish returned to teaching as a substitute in the Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley school districts and became the Kansas State Coordinator for the American Cancer Society. She felt she was equipped with the empathy necessary to help women going through adverse life changes, not only because of her own battle with cancer, but also because of her experiences growing up. As a volunteer, she enjoyed conducting workshops and group counseling sessions, training other volunteers, and traveling the country as a member of the American Cancer Society Service Committee—coordinating outreach efforts to serve those in need. 

After years of taking classes between work and motherhood, in 1986 she earned her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Her now twenty years of experience as a teacher and community volunteer equipped her as a counselor for the next thirty-two years in helping thousands of students deal with hyperactivity, learning disabilities, drug and alcohol prevention, child abuse, death and dying, divorce, bullying, manners, and self-esteem as an Elementary School Counselor for three Paola District elementary schools. At the Solace House Center for Grief and Healing, she provided grief counseling and comfort to those suffering from profound loss. In all she did, she catalyzed a movement of kindness and compassion.

She and Roger continued their love of adventure as avid travelers, making frequent trips to visit lifelong friends all around the world. They also loved being home and spending time with their children and grandchildren, as well as friends and neighbors she considered family. In 2020, due to COVID restrictions and the progression of Roger’s illness, Trish decided to “refocus” (she refused to say “retire) by staying active in two book clubs, cardio dancing three times a week, and annual trips with friends to Cabo. 

In October of 2023, her best friend and husband of nearly 60 years, Roger, passed away from complications due to Parkinson’s. On June 10, 2024, returning from a day-long tour of her beloved hometown Warrensburg, MO, she and her son and two granddaughters were involved in a fatal car accident. Trish and Derek died upon impact, and 16-year-old Catherine died four days later at Research Medical Center. Nineteen-year-old Alexandria miraculously survived having sustained serious injuries. Patricia Lee Moffett is survived by daughter Susan Moffett Barrick, son-in-law Chuck Barrick, daughter-in-law Laura Moffett, and granddaughter Alexandria Moffett, as well as her two cherished kitties, Tinker and Tucker ;-)

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Solace House Center for Grief and Healing (choose the "Donate" button and delegate contributions to Solace House), where Trish volunteered for many years.