Patricia Ann Wenzel

June 16, 2025

Patricia Ann Wenzel, 79, of Lancaster, passed away June 16th due to injuries sustained in a vehicular accident. Pat or “Maw”, as she was known by family and friends, was the definition of a fighter. She fiercely clung to life as evidenced by her 20-year battle again Multiple Myeloma and her struggle to survive the car accident that took her life.

She helped her mother run a successful flower business in Millersville, The Village Flower Shop, through five decades until her cancer diagnosis took her away to focus on her health. And what kept her battling the blood cancer was her family.

Pat was married to Kenneth Wenzel Jr., also of Lancaster, for 59 years. She had three married children living in the area: Kimberly Ann Taylor (Matthew Sal Taylor), Kenneth Wenzel III (Stacy Marie Miller), Jessica Elizabeth Harrington (Tyler Scott Harrington). She was a proud, loving, and fiercely loyal mother to her children.

Maw is also survived by eight grandchildren: Zachary Taylor, Caroline Anderson (Bill Anderson), Stephen Wenzel (Faith Willenbrock), Paul Wenzel, Olivia Wenzel, Peter Wenzel, Luke Harrington and Abigail Harrington. Her “Chickadees”, as she called them, were the loves of her life and what she talked most about to friends. She provided them extraordinary love and support that they will remember and cherish for many years.

The other love of Maw’s life was Katie, her Teacup Yorkie, who she spoiled almost as much as her grandchildren. Katie, a constant companion of nine years, is already lost without Maw.

Always looking for ways to give to her family, Pat purchased a vacation home in the mountains of central Pennsylvania and was delighted when the house was full of her Chickadees. She took up counted cross-stitch as a hobby and created many keepsakes for her children and grandchildren to remember her by. Her beautiful creations captured life events, like wedding dates, or new pet family members, and wildlife scenes who enjoy the hunting lifestyle. These creations could take up to eight months of constant work to complete—we cannot place a value on these heartfelt gifts!

She also demonstrated her love by taking the family on vacations to various beach locations in Delaware, Maryland, and North Carolina. There were also trips to Alaska, a destination she had visited on multiple occasions. For Maw, Alaska was the Last Wild Frontier, and she wanted to share this every family member. She and Ken also traveled internationally to places like Israel, Italy, Germany, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.

Pat also enjoyed riding motorcycles, a hobby she picked up later in life and enjoyed with family and friends. One year, she showed her grit by riding across the country to meet up with friends in North Dakota for multi-state excursion. In sixteen days, she, along with some family members and friends, rode 5,500 miles through rainstorms, endured intense heat, and a grasshopper infestation in South Dakota.

She generously served her Savior, through volunteer work at the church she attended, St, Joseph’s Catholic Church of Lancaster, as an extraordinary minister and a member of the Legion of Mary, as well as sponsoring children in various foreign countries. Pat put her talent of arranging flowers to use by beautifying the sanctuary with fresh flowers most every weekend.

Pat was proceeded in death by her parents, Willis Hess Rice and Ethel Mae Adair, a much-adored aunt, Helen Grace Adair, and a step-grandchild, Samantha Keller.
Her three siblings, all living in the area: Donald Eugene Rice (Leslie Fishel), Kenneth Eugene Rice (Virginia Edel), Ronald Eugene Rice (Jeanette Wertz).

Pat, Mom, Maw will be deeply missed by all.

Services will be held Wednesday, July 2nd at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 440 St. Joseph St. Lancaster, PA 17603. A visitation is scheduled for 10:30am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow Mass by invitation. Memorial contributions in Pat’s name may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Watch the tribute video