Sister Patricia (Mary Anthony) Uphus, O.P.

Sister Patricia Uphus (Mary Anthony) OP died peacefully at St. Joseph Residence in Seattle on January 12, 2020.  Florence Patricia Uphus was born in Seattle to Ralph Uphus and Florence O’Leary. The family moved to Tacoma where she attended St. Patrick’s School and Aquinas Academy, graduating in 1946.

On July 2, 1947, Sister Patricia entered the Dominican Sisters of Tacoma at Marymount. She received the habit in January 1947 and the name Sister Mary Anthony.  Her first profession was in 1948 and final profession in 1952.  This year she celebrated her 70th anniversary of first profession at St. Joseph Residence along with her novitiate companion Sister Michele MacMillan.

In preparation for a long ministry of classroom teaching, she attended Central Washington State College and received her BA degree.  Following her BA degree, she received an MA in education from Seattle University.

For many years she taught in Catholic Schools throughout Washington State.  These included, Bellingham: Assumption; Seattle: Holy Rosary Grade and High School, Our Lady of the Lake, Assumption; Tacoma: St. Patrick’s, Holy Cross; Yakima: St. Paul’s, Yakima Central Catholic High School; Ellensburg: Lourdes Academy.

She also taught at Knapp’s Business College and Capital Business College. She served as Executive Secretary for the Congregation from 1970-1975.  She then transitioned to a new direction. First, she served as Co-Director of the Martin Luther King Ecumenical Center with Marilyn Peterson from 1975-1982. She then assisted Marilyn in the running of the Health Store. Following the closing of the Health Store, she retired from active ministry, continuing to live in Tacoma. As her health began to fail, she moved to St. Joseph Residence in June of 2017.

Sister Patricia was known for her great sense of humor, her kindness to her students, and her love of a good time.  She was part of a supper group and a pinochle group for many years and anticipated these gatherings as a time for comraderie with her sisters, for enjoying good food, and challenging her skills and others at the regular card games.  She was always a great walker and once she retired, she and Marilyn Peterson were seen almost daily walking the streets of North Tacoma!

A sense of justice and working for the marginalized were part of her ministry while teaching and continued with great passion while working at the MLK Ecumenical Center and Health Store. She said in one of her jubilee articles, “I have always had a special interest in the disabled, health and nutrition.”

Sister Patricia’s parents Ralph and Florence O’Leary Uphus, sisters JoAnn Uphus and Rada Uphus Davies and brother Ralph Uphus preceded her in death.

She is survived by her sister Shirley (Dave) McHugh, nieces and nephews Maureen McHugh, Megan (McHugh) Boly, Ryan McHugh,Mike (Linda) Uphus, Mark (Jeanne) Uphus, Kevin Uphus,

David Uphus, Mary Pat (Uphus) Nacaratto, and Kelly (Davies) Marfil.

Great-nieces and nephews include Alex, Deven, Emma, Sam, Quinn,Bridget, Stephanie, Jamie Joy, Emily, Bo, Luke, Duke, Derek, Mackenzie, Madison, Amanda, Buck, Duke, Katie, Raybert, Keola and Rosemary.

Services for Sister Patricia will be at St. Joseph Residence (4800 37th Ave. SW, Seattle) on January 21. There will be sharing of memories at 10:15 followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 AM at St. Joseph Residence.  Burial will be on January 21, at 3:00 PM at Calvary Cemetery, Tacoma.

Memorial donations may be made to the Dominican Sisters Retirement Fund, 935 Fawcett Ave. Tacoma, WA 98402.