WINTHROP – Patricia Lynn O’Keefe Hatch, 76, passed away after a brief illness on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, with her boys by her side. She was born Patricia Lynn O’Keefe on March 17, 1946, in Old Town, the daughter of Robert E. and Betty Jo O’Keefe.

Pat graduated from Old Town High School and the University of Maine, earning a degree in Elementary Education. She went on to become a passionate grade school teacher for more than 40 years in Winthrop, a community that she embraced with all her heart. She took great pride in watching her students grow and flourish, and she worked hard to try to make a difference in their lives. Pat also forged lifelong friendships with her fellow teachers, meeting a regular group of retired teachers for lunch every month until her untimely passing.

Pat’s love for children was matched only by her devotion to animals. Pat spent hours with her horses ensuring that she covered their every need, often anticipating needs they did not yet even appreciate! Her Golden Retrievers and English Springer Spaniels never left her side. Her current six cats arrived on her farm, Mulligan’s Golden Acres, as day-old kitten rescues from the Humane Society, too weak to survive. She bottle fed them until they gained strength and ultimately thrived, as she did with the more than 200 other “day-old kittens” that she nursed back to health before placing them with their forever homes. Her compassion for animals was boundless, whether you were a horse in need of a stall, a dog orphaned by a hurricane, a kitten abandoned by a feral mom, or a baby bat who had fallen from her barn roof. If she found you, or you were delivered to her, you were loved, cared for, and became part of her forever family.

Family was at the center of Pat’s life. She loved her three children, supporting their dreams and spending endless hours at hockey rinks, football fields, school functions, riding stables, and graduations. To her children, she was the perfect balance of faith and strength, showing them how important it is to love and care for one another no matter how big the sacrifice or how difficult the situation may be. To her grandchildren, she was the larger than life character who sang in the church choir on Sunday but made up funny curse words every other day of the week. Her farm was their favorite place on earth. Where else could they ride a horse, bottle feed kittens, swim in a pool, use a chainsaw, catch frogs, drive a tractor, climb an apple tree, read bedtime stories to a dog, chase dragonflies, and access an endless supply of mini Reese’s peanut butter cups all before 9 a.m.! She opened her farm to whoever needed either a few moments of blissful solace or a chaotic fix of fur friend therapy. She had a unique ability to make everyone feel special, and her loss will be felt deeply by her family and her former students, community members, animal foster groups, and her close friends to whom she had devoted her life.

Pat is survived by her two sons, Edward “Tiger” Hatch and his wife Valerie, and Rob Hatch and his wife Amber; son-in-law, Brian Ketchen and his fiancee Michelle Fleury-True; her former husband and close friends Ted Hatch and Catherine Kerr; her six grandchildren, Nicholas Sanford, Victoria Russell and husband Kyle, Isabelle, Evelyn, Madisson and Bailey Hatch; two brothers, Robert O’Keefe Jr. and Roderick O’Keefe and his wife Cynthia, sister, Nancy Morrison and her husband Royce; and her faithful companions, Tessa, Hattie, Josie, Brandy, Nellie, Scout, Sage, Sophia, Snickers, Scamper and Spirit; plus numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

Pat was predeceased by her parents; and her sister-in-law, Frances O’Keefe. Pat also was predeceased by her loving daughter, Kellie Lynne Ketchen, who shared her passion for teaching, her unyielding devotion to animals, and her love of both farm life and the ability to manufacture unique swear words.

At Pat’s request, there will be no formal visiting hours or funeral service. All are invited to attend a Celebration of Life on Saturday, April 15, at 1 p.m. at Maple Hill Farm Inn, 11 Inn Rd., Hallowell.

Arrangements are under the care of Roberts Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 62 Bowdoin St., Winthrop. Memories, condolences, photos, and videos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at http://www.khrfuneralhomes.com.

In lieu of flowers,

donations may be made in Pat’s memory to the

Kennebec Valley

Humane Society,

10 Pet Haven Lane

Augusta, ME 04330

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