Kimberly Marie Patterson

Kimberly Marie (Riegert) Patterson, age 44, of Janesville, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at home on September 15th, surrounded by her family.

Kim was born in Mankato, Minnesota on February 4,1982, to parents, Mike and Jane (Peterson) Riegert. She graduated from Mankato East High School in 2000. She continued her education at South Central Technical College where she graduated with an associate degree in Child Development.

On May 19th, 2007, Kim married her high school sweetheart, Ryan Patterson, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in Mankato. Kim and her husband, Ryan, shared 19 years of marriage and built a beautiful life together, where they were blessed with two children: Adeline (Addy) and Jace.

Kim worked at Lil’ Bees Learning Center for 12 years, where she left a lifelong impact on the children, families, and staff members. She built long lasting friendships and touched the lives of many.

Kim loved reading, traveling, spending time with her family, and staying connected with the many people she cared about throughout her life. One of her most treasured traditions was taking an annual trip with her high school girlfriends along with her family vacations.

Above all else, Kim loved being a mom to her children, Addy and Jace. They were the center of Kim’s world and the source of her greatest happiness. Anyone who knew Kim knew how incredibly proud she was of her children. She lit up whenever she talked about Addy and Jace. She loved them fiercely, completely, and unconditionally, and being their mom was her greatest joy in life. Cricket, her black lab, also held a very special place in her heart.

To know Kim was to be loved by her. She had a special way of making people feel remembered and cared for. She was always there for the people she loved - in the big moments, the everyday moments, and especially when they needed her most. Kim was wonderfully funny and completely herself. Her friendships meant so much to her. Once she loved someone, she held onto them. Those who loved Kim would have given anything for more time with her, but the love she poured into her 44 years cannot be measured by their number. It lives on in Ryan, Addy, and Jace; in her father and sister; and in the friendships she carried with her through the years.

Kim is survived by her husband, Ryan Patterson; her children, Adeline, 18, and Jace, 14; and their black lab, Cricket. She is also survived by her father, Michael Riegert and her stepmother Brenda Riegert; paternal grandfather, William “Bill” Riegert; her sister, Michelle Riegert (Mike); her in-laws, Gary and Sharon Patterson; her sisters and brother in law; Kathryn and Matthew Rybak and their daughters, Stella and Macy; Sarah Mikel and her children, Lydia and Weston; and countless extended family members and friends who were blessed to know and love her.

Kim was preceded in death by her beloved mother, Jane Riegert, maternal grandparents; Kenneth and Donna Peterson; paternal grandmother Shirley Riegert; and uncle Steve Peterson.

A Celebration of Life honoring Kim will be held on Saturday, September 19th from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the State Street Chapel of the Dennis-Steffel-Omtvedt Funeral and Cremation Service in Waseca, Minnesota. A prayer service will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Kim had one special request for the day: after her Celebration of Life, she would like everyone to gather at Club 57 in Waseca, to have a drink together, share favorite memories, laugh, and raise a glass to a life filled with so much love.

In Kim’s memory, a fund has been established to support Ryan, Addy, and Jace. Memorial contributions may be directed to her family to benefit this fund.