Obituary of Patricia Rylko

“PM” was born in Wembley, England to Frank and Agnes Back. From the age of 6 to 16 she was raised by nuns in the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Willsden, England. She became a registered nurse and married John Rylko, a Polish soldier she nursed back to health after World War 11. Patricia raised 4 children, Danuta, Richard, Michael, and Paul. In the winter of 1966, she drove her children 4,000 treacherous miles to Alaska in the early, unpaved days of the Alcan Highway. Later, she moved her family to San Francisco and supported them with love, inspiration and motivation. She was a skier, a scuba diver, and a Water Safety Instructor. She baked sublime pies, knew how to make soap, can fruit, and grow vegetables. Patricia dearly loved animals, bridges, seagulls, and gardening, memorizing the botanical names of most roses and maples. She was a county nurse, an emergency room nurse, and worked with preemie babies. At the age of 77, she joined the Veneta Fire Department as a First Responder, always traveling with her crowbar, ropes and hardhat to rescue people trapped in overturned cars, manage traffic and call in fire trucks. When afflicted with Alzheimer’s, she lived with her family at Pfeiffer Vineyards and eventually moved to Quail Park, a memory care facility in Eugene. She passed away at the age of 86 surrounded by her family. A private memorial service is planned for Patricia at Pfeiffer Vineyards where she gently tended the vines.Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary at musgroves.com