Patricia Wilkinson

Patricia Wilkinson

July 22, 1943 – December 10, 2023

Patricia Wilkinson passed away on December 10, 2023, after a long illness.  Preceded in death by first husband, Richard Socha; and parents, Bill and Betty Griffin. Survived by husband, Jim Wilkinson; children: Lori (Jerome) Howard, Omaha, Cathy (Bill) Meier, Sioux Falls, SD, Tim (Linda) Socha of Pea Ridge, AK, and Scott (Heather) Socha of St. Louis, MO; 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; stepchildren: Jennifer Clocke (Glen) Cedar Falls, IA, Suzanne Pierce (Ben), Warrensburg, MO, William Wilkinson (Kerry), Los Angeles, CA; and sisters, Katie Griffin, Omaha, NE, and Maggie (Larry) Bennett of Mankato, MN; brother, Tom Griffin, Los Angeles, CA.

Born on July 22, 1943, in Omaha, NE, Pat was the oldest child of Bill and Betty Griffin. Pat grew up in the Cathedral area of Omaha and graduated from Cathedral High School.

Pat raised her kids mainly in Clarinda and Marshalltown, IA, where she worked in a dental office for many years. She and her husband, Jim, later moved to Council Bluffs, IA, where she worked at the Department of Health and Human Services, serving those in need.  In 2000, she and her husband retired and moved to a West Omaha neighborhood where she found many friends and was frequently heard saying “We have the best neighbors ever!”

Pat was very outgoing and loved to talk – to anyone and everyone!  She loved to garden, bake, and spend time with family and friends. She also loved attending all her kids’ and grandkids’ sporting events, plays, and concerts and was their biggest fan. She treated everyone with respect and kindness and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

It was Pat’s wish to have friends and family gather to share fond memories of her to celebrate her life.  Please join us for Pat’s Celebration of Life ceremony beginning at 11:00am on Friday, January 12, 2024, at West Center Chapel.  Interment: Omaha National Cemetery.