Dr. Juanita Patterson Booker

Dr. Juanita Patterson Booker, affectionately known in Othello as “Dr. Pat”, passed away on December 19 at Avalon Care Center due to complications from a brain tumor. She was 84.

Dr. Pat was born March 21, 1921, in Pullman, Washington, to the late Jehu Oscar and Bertha Nelson Patterson. She attended Pullman public schools and graduated from Washington State University in 1946. She had dreamed of becoming a doctor since suffering a broken arm as a child and she was able to realize her dream by attending the prestigious medical school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Pat was one of just eight women in the first post-WWII class.  She served an internship in psychiatry at St. Luke’s Hospital in Spokane and completed her residency in obstetrics at St. Francis Hospital outside Indianapolis in 1952.

After consulting with the Columbia Basin Project’s assistant director, Dr. Pat concluded that Othello was poised for considerable growth. She, therefore, decided to move to town and open a medical practice in 1952. For several years, she was one of just two doctors in town — and the only woman — who did everything from delivering babies to treating victims of serious industrial and farming accidents. 

In her new role, Dr. Pat took every opportunity to improve the quality of health care in Othello. She joined forces with town leaders to establish Othello Community Hospital which opened in the Spring of 1958. She was actively involved with the Red Cross Blood Drives in Othello donating blood countless times and volunteering her medical services to the drives. Dr. Pat also developed a program for second graders at Hiawatha and Lutacaga Elementary schools to take the fear out of visiting the doctor by demonstrating the instruments that doctors typically use.  When she retired from practice in 1988, thirty-six years after she began, she had delivered over 1,000 babies and had never refused care to anyone who asked for it.

Dr. Pat was firmly committed to Othello and was active in a number of local organizations that provided services to those in need. She was a leading member of Othello Christian Church where she served as choir member, church elder, a trustee, and the vice-president of the Church Board. Dr. Pat also led the Christian Women’s Fellowship for several years.  She served on the Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) Board of Directors and served on the boards the Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. She was also a proud member of the Democratic Party in Adams County and had served as precinct committeeperson numerous times. 

In addition to her local community activities, Dr. Pat was a member of several Masonic organizations. She was a fifty-year member in Amaranth and served as Royal Matron several times. She also has a life membership in the Order of the Eastern Star where she has been worthy matron, grand representative, and attending physician during annual conferences.  Finally, she was President of the local chapter of the Daughters of the Nile that supported the efforts of the Shriners hospitals.

Dr. Pat will be remembered for her compassion and love of life and her commitment to family and friends. She was deeply involved with the lives of her grandchildren and traveled twice a year without fail to visit them outside of Chicago. She was an avid fan of WSU Cougar sports and Mariner baseball, a voracious reader, and an insatiable solver of crossword, wordseach, and other puzzle forms.

Dr. Pat was preceded in death by her husband of 22 years, W.E. “Evan” Booker (1983), and her brother, Vernon Patterson (2004). She is survived by her daughter Fay Booker and son-in-law David Pizza of Flossmoor, Illinois; three grand-daughters, Emily Virginia (14), Melissa Elaine (12), and Gabrielle Evana Marie (9); sisters-in-law Nellie Booker Logan of Othello and Sylva Jerbert of Waterford, Connecticut; sixteen nieces and nephews; and countless great-nieces and nephews.

A memorial service for Dr. Pat will be held at Othello Christian Church on Sunday, August 2, 2009, at 2:30 p.m., with inurnment to follow at Bess Hampton Memorial Gardens.  Contributions in memory of Dr. Pat Booker can be made to the Othello Food Bank or to the Leonard Cook Permanent Scholarship Fund (checks made out to Grand Court of Washington and mailed c/o Tommie Tindell, P.O. Box 10, Othello, WA 99344).

You are invited to sign the book and share a sentiment with the family at stevensfuneralchapel.com.