Mary Patricia (Pat) H. Rahn

Mary Patricia (Pat) H. Rahn passed away peacefully at home on March 6, 2026, surrounded by her children. She was born on the south side of Chicago on June 15, 1934, and graduated from Loretto Academy, an all-girls high school run by the Sisters of Loretto, in 1952. She received a scholarship from the Pullman Foundation in Chicago, which supports the dreams and aspirations of outstanding graduating high school seniors, to attend St. Xavier College for Women, founded by the Sisters of Mercy, where she graduated in June 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing – BSN and Registered Nurse – RN degree, which at that time was a very forward-looking degree designed to upgrade the profession of nursing. Early during her college years, she attended a dance party where the men each picked a shoe out of the pile of shoes the women had created, and she met her future husband Robert (Bob) William Rahn. It was a costume party, and Bob was wearing a large fake nose and glasses, and she felt so sorry for him that she agreed to go on a date 😊. On October 27, 1956, they were happily married in Chicago. Pat worked at Illinois Central Hospital until April 1957, when she (much to the dismay of her mother who wanted her to stay and care for her two younger sisters) moved with Bob to Edina, Minneapolis, MN, where Bob began his job at the Fire Inspection Bureau after graduating as a fire protection and safety engineer with a scholarship from Illinois Institute of Technology. She described her life in Edina as a blur, from being a stay-at-home mom, giving birth to all six of her beautiful children in seven years, while also working weekends as a nurse and being involved in the PTO. Her children remember her as a happy mom, dancing around the kitchen to tunes like “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” and Jambalaya (On the Bayou) while talking on the phone to all her friends and feeding one baby in the arms, another in the high chair, and the rest at the table, while Bob was away in the evenings pursuing a law degree at William Mitchell College of Law in Minneapolis. Life got even better when Bob took a job with Aetna and later The Hartford, and they moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, in 1965. Pat displayed her true “Energizer Bunny” characteristics by helping her school-aged children start at Duffy, joining Welcome Wagon, taking bridge and tennis lessons, and getting involved in various book groups as well as the League of Women voters, supporting Nan Streeter, who was running for Mayor of West Hartford. She recalls that in those “old-fashioned days,” when she wrote a letter of recommendation for Nan, she had to sign as Mrs. Robert Rahn! When her youngest daughter was about 12, Pat read about a Nurse Practitioner Program at Hartford Hospital and applied, but didn’t get in. When she called to ask what would make her a better candidate, they told her to get more work experience, and she was offered a position as a school nurse at Conard High School, which several of her children already attended. She loved that job, including the summers off. Two years later, she applied for the Nurse Practitioner Program and was accepted. With that degree, she got one of the 4 new Nurse Practitioner positions at Hartford Hospital, and she thoroughly enjoyed that role. But as she worked, she realized the huge psychological impact that physical illness has on people, and at 50, with her energizer battery still full, she told Bob that she wanted to get a Master’s degree, and off she went, driving herself to New Haven regularly to complete the 4-year part-time program at Yale, graduating with a Master's in Psychiatric Nursing, which also led to a set of wonderful new young friends, as she was the oldest in the program. She then began a new position at Hartford Hospital as a Psychiatric Liaison Nurse (PLN), which is a specialized registered nurse who acts as a bridge between mental health services and medical/surgical teams in hospitals, assessing and managing patients with co-occurring mental and physical health conditions, such as delirium, depression, or substance abuse, ensuring comprehensive, integrated care. She was active in the Connecticut Society of Nurse Psychotherapists and helped secure legal changes that allowed for full advanced nursing practice in Connecticut. She wound up her career with a very successful private practice. Pat was predeceased by her husband Bob (d. Oct 29, 2000), her father, Hugh Hanlon, her mother, Katherine (Doyle) Hanlon, and all her siblings - Hugh (Jimmy), Frank (Curly), Rosemary, Claire, and Major Mary Katherine (Kitty). She is survived by her children: daughters Renis (Kim) of Denmark and Portugal; Rebecca of West Hartford, CT and Rachel of Springfield, MA and sons David (Susan) of Chico, CA; Greg (Patricia) of American Canyon, CA; and Paul (Diane) of Nelson, MN, as well as seven grandchildren: Gary, Gregory, Katie, Reanna, Ashley, Isabella, and Maika and 7 great grandchildren. She is also survived by nieces and nephews Mark, Johnny, Rosemary, George, and her very special niece, Terrie, with her husband Kevin. Her Funeral Mass will be held at 11:30 am on March 12, 2026, at St. Peter Claver Church, followed by a reception at the Parish Hall, burial will be private. Pat’s family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the hospice staff at McLean as well as her daughters for their incredible care during her last days. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat’s name to The House of Bread (https://www.hobread.org/ ).