Patricia Grace Schwartz Rutan, a long-time resident of Melba, passed away on April 2, 2019 at the age of 83.
Pat lived in Idaho most of her life, moving here with her family as an infant. As did many others at that time, the Schwartz family lost most of their crops in the Dust Bowl. They decided to leave Texas and move their young family to the northwest where relatives had already settled. The family stopped in Florence, Colorado and waited for the bank to send the meager funds from the cotton they were able to harvest before they left Texas. While there, her dad worked in the coal mines near Florence to provide for the family. There, on October 15, 1935, Pat was born. She was the eighth of eleven children of Albert Wesley and Grace Mae Lawrence Schwartz.
When they first arrived in Idaho, the Schwartz family lived in a tent in the Marsing area, and her dad and an older brother worked in the sheep camp. After a time they purchased land near Lake Lowell and the family cleared sage brush to make their farm. Throughout this time Pat worked for local farmers in the fields to help her family. She graduated from Caldwell High School.
Pat met Russell Rutan of Melba while they were participating in church softball leagues in Nampa. They were married in 1955, and she became the mother of two girls, Yvonne and Rhonda. Later they had a daughter, Debbie and a son, David.
She was a member of the Melba Community Baptist Church. Since she worked the land most of her life, she especially enjoyed decorating for and helping with the annual Harvest Home Dinner at the church. Pat didn’t mind working behind the scenes and assisted in the kitchen at many dinners, events and receptions.
While the children were young she was busy being a softball coach, room mother or chaperone for many school, church and community events. She sewed clothes for her children and also made many quilts for family and friends.
Pat always helped on the farm, from running to town for parts, irrigating, working in the fields with the children, and driving truck and tractors. Though they farmed in many places, it did not take Pat long to make the houses they lived in “home.” Russ and Pat farmed and raised their family in the Melba area until 1977. They then lived in Horseshoe Bend, Grand View and Reynolds Creek until 1998, when they moved to their home in Nampa. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary shortly before Russell’s death in January of 2016. Pat has resided in care facilities in Nampa and Caldwell since that time.
Pat is survived by three daughters, Yvonne (Jim) Reed of Arlington, Virginia; Rhonda (Mike) Curtis of Fredericksburg, Virginia; Debbie Titus of Nampa; and a son David (Ann) Rutan of Jordan Valley; 13 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild. She is also survived by one brother, Ivan (Jan) Schwartz of Sacramento, California, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers: Jim, Wesley, Ronald, Marvin and Louie; and sisters: Imogene Schwartz, Mabel Ward, Annabell Runions and Irma Sheppard.
It was always important to Pat’s family, to never forget the three young Schwartz children who died while they lived in Texas. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, that memorials be made to help maintain the small rural cemetery in Friona, Texas where they are buried, Friona Cemetery Association, Inc., P.O. Box 823, Friona, Texas 79035.
Pat enjoyed quilting and giving her quilts to others. The family will be displaying some of her handiwork at the visitation on Friday, April 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Zeyer Funeral Home, 83 North Midland Boulevard, Nampa. If you have a quilt Pat made or quilted, the family would be honored if you would bring it to share.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 6 at the Melba Cemetery, Baseline Road in Melba. Condolences may be expressed at ZeyerFuneralChapel.com. 208-467-7300.

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