Patsy Lee (Spangler) Sommerville, 93, of Mount Vernon, passed away peacefully March 3, 2023, surrounded by loved ones. Visitation will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 11, with the funeral service following at 11 a.m. at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon. Burial will follow at the Mount Vernon Cemetery.
Patsy was born Sept. 5, 1929, to Cyril and Gladys (Wilson) Spangler in Creston. She spent many of her younger years moving with her family from town to town in Iowa, based on where her father’s job was located. She was a 1947 graduate of Anamosa High School. Patsy worked at Cornell College in Mount Vernon until she married Ernest Sommerville, Jr. in August 1958. The couple moved to Michigan, then Florida, before returning to Iowa in 1962. Patsy returned to Cornell College in June 1962, working in the Registrar’s office until her retirement in May 1994.
Patsy loved to read, do crosswords, watch gameshows, and play cards with her family and friends. She had an amazing memory, remembering names, dates, and places many have long forgotten. She was very adamant about getting her hair done every week. It was the one thing she insisted on doing for herself. She also had a wonderful knack for knowing just the right words to say when her children and grandchildren needed comfort or advice. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by her family.
Patsy is survived by her daughters, Rochelle (Mike Dean) Ferguson of Mount Vernon and Rebecca Mixon of Hiawatha; stepdaughters Deborah Somerville of Angola, Ind. and Pamela (Dan) Sholl of Pleasant Lake, Ind.; 14 grandchildren; 37 great-grandchildren; and eight great-great-grandchildren.
Patsy was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Ernie; son, Les; stepdaughter, Valerie Wilcox; sister, Carol Brokel; brother, Herbert Spangler; and great-grandson, Bryce Flaucher.
A memorial fund has been established.
Patsy Sommerville
March 9, 2023