Patricia Harbour
HARBOUR, PATRICIA RATHERT, born December 3, 1944 (St. Louis, MO), died August 30th, 2004 (Jackson, WY), with her daughters by her side and the Grand Tetons outside her window, Pat Harbour succombed to pancreatic cancer, this week, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; she lived an exuberant and complete 59 years. Pat was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and began her professional career at Brown Shoe Company where she became responsible for the fashion and advertising departments. But after over 15 years in the footwear business, Pat was bitten by the innkeeper bug. She dreamed of opening a bed and breakfast and visualized it coming to life in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a destination that had not yet been 'discovered' by the hospitality industry or the casual traveller. So, with the help of her daughters, Alison and Heather, and with her canine companion Sophie at her side, the Adobe Abode was born. It quickly became the B&B of choice, offering guests bedrooms that Pat had personally designed and an ambience that made it feel as if Santa Fe had grown up around the Inn, as opposed to the opposite. Breakfast at the Adobe Abode was a party, with Pat whipping up homemade muffins and brewing her famously strong coffee. Expectedly, guests became friends and the Adobe Abode became a fixture, a place where people from all over the country visited. And Pat did it all, without any previous experience and without a training manual.Having done that, Pat decided she needed to move on, to try something different. While visiting British Columbia she found a wonderfully underappreciated house on a beautiful island. She started dreaming again, visualizing the possibilities of a rental property that would provide an exceptionally charming travel experience. She know what she liked, and she knew that if she thought it would be special, so would her guests. Pat transformed this cottage into a perfect vacation getaway.Pat had a busy life. But busy always included her family, the real treasures in her life. She always found the time to spend with her daughters, Alison and Heather, and their new spouses, David Agnello and Jeremy Oxer. And of course, she couldn't get enough of her granddaughters Annie and Lucy. Because being the best mom and grandma was more important than anything else.Not surprisingly, she was a wonderful sister, aunt and friend as well. She stayed close to her sister Gail Fischman, as well as Gail's son and daughters. And she never allowed distance to compromise her friendships. As recently as three months ago, Pat had plans to renovate a boutique hotel in Galveston, Texas, what she envisioned as her next Santa Fe. That dream is one of the few that Pat did not fulfill. Cancer has a way of stealing dreams. [published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Sept 5, 2004]