Obituary | Patricia Wand (Colombia)

In childhood, Pat was a ten year 4H club member in clothing, sewing, and style revue. Her first project was sewing a pair of pajamas at age nine. As a teenager she won a trip to the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. Upon high school graduation, she accepted an Honors Scholarship to Seattle University, and after obtaining her Bachelor’s degree, immediately joined the second cohort of Peace Corp volunteers sent to Colombia, South America.

While there, among many other accomplishments, she and other volunteers were instrumental in allaying fears of the villagers when JFK was assassinated. This first international experience was the catalyst for a lifetime of international travel ultimately sending her to over 50 countries on all continents save Antarctica. Poetically, she passed away while traveling in Spain, her first post-pandemic international trip, after suffering a catastrophic stroke.

Pat’s thirst for knowledge and information led her to become a librarian where she worked in a number of libraries at institutions of higher education. This included Columbia University, University of Oregon, American University in Washington, DC, the College of Staten Island (CUNY), Wittenberg University and ended with her retirement from Zayed University in Dubai, UAE.

In retirement Pat filled her days by sewing, traveling, spending as much time as her son would allow visiting her grandsons in Henderson, NV, and tirelessly working to establish the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

Pat is survived by her son, Kirk Dean Silvernail, daughter-in-law, Julia Silvernail, and grandsons Tristan and Logan. She is also survived by her brothers, Jerome, Richard, and David Wand and sisters, Helen and Carolyn Eslick Donaldson as well as Sister-in-laws, Dana, Sharon, and Roberta and brother-in-laws, Gene Casciato and Charles Donaldson, numerous nieces, nephews and great nieces and great nephews. She is also survived by her friend and companion Mohsen Vakili and former husband, Francis Silvernail. She joins those that predeceased her: daughter Marjorie Lynn Silverwand, her parents, and her sisters, Ruth Wand Casciato and Dorothy Wand.

A memorial service in the DC area will be held Friday, June 2 at 4 p.m. at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Another memorial service will be held in the Portland, OR area on July 15. In lieu of flowers please consider donating in her name to the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience.

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