as written by my Father.
PATRICIA M. THAYER
(Age 86) "Memories, light the corners of my mind. Misty water colored
memories Of the way we were." (Bergman & Hamlish) Of Washington, DC
and Williamsburg, VA died on August 2, 2013. Born in Louisville, KY, she had a
particularly close and loving relationship with her grandfather, William Hammond. He
influenced and motivated her interest in fine arts, history, traveling, large
families and genealogy. During the depression, her father, Paul Martin, moved to
Washington, DC. She graduated from Academy of Holy Cross in Kensington, MD and
then attended both University of Maryland and Vassar College. Her education was
interrupted prematurely by her marriage to then Lt. Raymond Thayer, 1946 graduate of
the US Military Academy. It was rumored that the marriage was partially
motivated by her desire to travel and get an early start on a large family of
children. Both wishes were realized by accompanying her husband to occupation
duty in Japan and the birth of her first two daughters while there. She
acquired an appreciation for Japanese fine arts, furnishings, and china. With
her husband sent to the Korean "police action," she returned to the
US. Reunited for several duty stations in the US during the 50s, she gave birth
to her daughter number three and twin sons. The long-hoped-for assignment in
Germany arrived as did daughter number four, her final child. She focused on
raising her children and pursuing her interests in European culture. Service
life continued 15+ years with assignments both stateside and overseas and much
traveling. She made many friendships in Europe. In the 1960's, she was
appointed President of the German-American Wives Club in Wiesbaden/Mainz,
Germany, as well as other social appointments of import. This gave her a
life-long feeling of pride and pleasure as a result of the friends she acquired
and cultural education afforded. A major ambition was to provide the best
possible education for her children. Despite being challenged by
"nomadic" Army life (33 different places in 30 years) and limited
financial resources, she nonetheless secured educational opportunities for all
her children to attend private schools abroad and in the US and top university
level education for several of them. Upon her husband's retirement from the
Army and settlement in the Washington DC-Annapolis area, she realized a
long-delayed dream to resume her formal education by her attendance at Mt.
Vernon College. Her course work in Renaissance Art History included a lengthy
period of study in Venice, Florence, and Rome. Mrs. Thayer's special knowledge, talents, and
skills in interior design, the arts, gardening, antiques, literature, English
history were recognized by her many friends, children, professors, and fellow
students. She is survived by her loving husband of 66 years, Col. Raymond E. Thayer (USA Ret.), five
of her six children- Anne
Callihan and husband Gary, Susan Thayer, Capt. Richard Thayer (USN Ret.) and
wife Laura, Brendan Thayer, and Sarah Love and husband Jim; seven
grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Funeral will be at Arlington
National Cemetery, day and time to be announced.
We buried my mother a week ago. My thoughts are still to come ... I never realised how cathartic this would be
my favourite picture of her - in Germany
