Patricia Sitlington Subject: Wake and Funeral for Pat Sitlington From: James Lubker, Provost Date: 18 Feb 2009 The family of Pat Sitlington asked that I share this information with you-- A wake for Dr. Patricia Sitlington will be held on Friday evening, February 20th, 2009, at the Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home, 1825 West 12th Street, Cedar Falls, Iowa. Rosary at 4:00 P.M. Visitation after Rosary until 7:00 P.M. Wake serve at 7:00 P.M. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 21st, 2009, at St. Stephen Catholic Student Center, 1019 West 23rd Street. Visitation from 9:30-10:30 A.M. Funeral mass at 10:30 A.M. Reception for family and friends after Mass. Obituary: Dr. Patricia Louise Sitlington passed away February 13, 2009, at her home in Cedar Falls, Iowa, at the age of 62. Born in Independence, Missouri, she was the daughter of James R. Sitlington and Mary Lucas Sitlington. Pat graduated from St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1968 with a B. A. in mathematics; from the University of Hawaii in 1970 with a M. Ed. In special education/educational psychology; and from the University of Kansas in 1976 with a Ph. D. in vocational/career programming. Her academic career began at the University of Northern Iowa in 1976, followed by seven years at Indiana University-Bloomington from 1979 to 1986, then a return to the University of Northern Iowa from 1992 to the present, where she was a Professor in the Department of Special Education. From 1986 to 1992 she worked with the Iowa Department of Education as project director in the Bureau of Special Education. During her tenure at the University of Northern Iowa, Pat served as a member of the Iowa Academy of Education, was recognized as Reviewer of the Year in 2001 by /Career Development for Exceptional Individuals , and received the Oliver P. Kolstoe Award, presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the field of career development and transition through means other than direct classroom instruction. In 2002 Pat was awarded the prestigious Philip G. Hubbard Award, presented annually to only one individual in each university college for outstanding research and teaching. In 2006 she was presented with The Patricia L. Sitlington Research in Transition Award, named in her honor and presented to an individual who has contributed to more positive outcomes for transition-aged youth and to the field of transition through a body of research on transition. She authored or co-authored twenty-four research-based articles for major special education journals and co-authored /Transition Education & Services for Adolescents with Disabilities/, a book recognized as a standard in its field, now in its fifth edition. Comments from her colleagues after Pat's passing all bore the same message and tone: "Pat has had a huge impact on our field and had a major part in shaping much of what we do now in secondary transition education." Pat was an avid golfer and sports fan, often saying that the Golf Channel was "manna from Heaven" for her. She avidly followed and supported all UNI Panther teams and routinely notified her relatives when a Panther game would be on national TV. She loved the several dachshunds that she owned during her life, finding great irony in naming each of them for a beer brand. Above all, she loved her family. Pat is survived by her brother, James R. Sitlington, Jr., and his wife Mary K. of Cincinnati, Ohio; by her niece, Suzanne Sitlington, and grand-nephew, Jack Thomas of Norwood, Colorado; by her niece and god-daughter Mary Patricia (Sitlington) Donlon, her husband Bill, grand-niece Mary Elizabeth, grand-nephew Patrick James and grand-nephew and godson Michael William of Houston, Texas; by her nephew James R. Sitlington, III, his wife Carol, grand-niece Megan and grand-nephew James IV of Steamboat Springs, Colorado; and by her nephew Thomas Edward Sitlington, grand-niece Rachelle and grand-nephew Thomas Edward of Cincinnati, Ohio.. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the St. Stephen Catholic Student Center on University of Northern Iowa's campus; to the Humane Society of Cedar Falls, or to the Gary M. Clark Award in Special Education (founded by Pat in honor of her mentor), which presents stipends annually to Special Education students.
