Patricia S. (Stenz) Beane

Patricia “Pat” Beane, née Stenz, also went by the names Pat Evans and Pat Sosnowski during
previous marriages. She was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to parents Erwin and Alice Stenz in
1953; she was the second of four children. She grew up in the small town of Pipe, WI, where
she loved spending time with family and cousins at the family’s cottage on Lake Winnebago.
She attended New Holstein High School, where she was valedictorian of the Class of 1971 and
sang with friends in the Madrigal Choir.

Pat met her first husband Thomas Evans at the University of Wisconsin in 1971. They
were married in 1972, after which they moved back to Tom’s home state of New York and
eventually bought their first house in Burnt Hills. Bookish and wry, Pat made fast friends at one
of her first local places of employment, Burnt Hills Books, which she always remembered with
special fondness. Pat’s eldest child, Anne, was born in 1981, and twins Elizabeth and James in
1984, after which the family moved to Ballston Spa where Pat was a dedicated stay-at-home
mother for several years. As her children grew up, Pat worked a variety of full- and part-time
jobs in the Saratoga/Ballston Spa/Wilton area. When her first marriage ended in 1997, she
moved back to Burnt Hills. She later married Victor Sosnowski and worked for several years at
Mayfair Jewelers in Glenville. She would always remain touched by the kindness shown to her
by her then parents-in-law Frank and Lorraine Sosnowski. After a second divorce, Pat relocated
to Ballston Lake in 2005 and began working in the office of optometrist Lawrence Cusma, where
she would continue working until her retirement in 2010.

It was in 2005 that she met her third and final partner, Christopher Beane, in whom she
quickly found a kindred spirit and loving companion—as well as an enthusiastic dance partner.
Pat and Chris took years of ballroom dance lessons together, and could often be seen trying out
new moves, whether out in public at live music venues and weddings, or in the quiet familiarity
of their home, gliding playfully around the kitchen island in stocking feet. They wed in 2008 in
an intimate family ceremony at The Sagamore on Lake George. Pat was radiant, positively
glowing with her love for Chris and excitement at the prospect of spending the rest of her life
with him. Avid lovers of travel, they honeymooned in Paris and Florence, and would later take
memorable cruises to Alaska, through the Baltic Sea, and along the Danube River. Closer to
home, they enjoyed sharing rented vacation houses with family and making trips to Wisconsin,
where they spent wonderful visits with Pat’s family and friends. The couple moved to Elbridge
in October of 2010. There, they made a home for themselves, finding tranquility in the quiet
sort of small-town life that they had both experienced earlier in their lives. Ultimately, for them,
being together was always more important than where they went or what they did.

Pat excelled in the fiber arts—spinning and knitting in particular, but weaving and
needlepoint as well—having taken an interest in them from her youth. Her children have fond
memories of trips to sheep farms, and of Pat bringing home massive freshly-shorn fleeces that
filled the family room—these would then be lovingly washed, dried, and carded in preparation
for spinning. While she was living in Ballston Spa, she was an active member of the Clifton Park
based Rock Day Spinners group, and won blue and red ribbons for her entries at the Saratoga
County Fair.

After moving to Elbridge, she became a regular in the knitting group that met
weekly at the Elbridge Free Library, staying away only when COVID disruptions or eventually her
own illness made it impossible to attend. She was also a member of the Baldwinsville Golden
Fleece Spinners’ Society and the Weavers’ Guild of Rochester. In 2022, she had remarkable
success selling her work at the annual Weavers’ Guild sale. (She was the only one who was surprised by this success, for despite her tremendous skill, she remained humble about her own
abilities.) Her workmanship was painstaking and exquisite; her dedication to her art and her
love for her family are manifest in every immaculate stitch of the now-precious creations she
has left behind to comfort us in her absence.

Pat was a loving wife and mother as well as a devoted grandmother. She mailed cookies
to college dorms; effortlessly whipped up scarves and socks to protect her family from the cold;
and hosted warm, vibrant holiday gatherings. Her patience with her grandchildren was endless,
and she derived such joy not just from the fun things—playtime and silly songs—but even in the
quiet, unremarkable moments of drowsy cuddles and sleepy bedtime lullabies. She was
thoughtful and reflective, whip-smart with a quick sense of humor, a deep love of reading, and
an encyclopedic vocabulary (she was also an avid and expert crossword-puzzler). We are all the
richer for having known her and loved her; but her premature departure leaves an
immeasurable, unfillable hole in our lives.

She is survived by her husband Chris Beane, children Anne (Benjamin) Geiss, Elizabeth
(Thomas) Weber, and James (Christine) Evans, step-children Jordan Beane and Olivia Beane
(Jamie) Nichols, grandchildren Michael Geiss, Lizzie and James Evans, and Marianna Weber, and
siblings Gordie (Terry) Stenz, Doug Stenz, and Nancy (Mark) Barelmann. We will miss her more
than she could ever know.

Calling hours will be held at Bush Funeral Home 120 E. Main St., Elbridge NY on
Sunday, January 14th, 2024, from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s memory
may be made to the Elbridge Free Library.

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