Mona Faye Patrick

Mona Faye Patrick died peacefully at her home in Canon City on Friday August 18, 2023, surrounded by
loved ones. She was 86. Mona was born on October 7, 1936 in Woodward, OK to Blanche (Covalt) and
Charles Burns. She was the youngest of five children.
Mona married early in life, and had five children with her first husband Lester Cecil. He passed away in
1962. Mona married JR Walden and had one child before they divorced. In 1970 she married Frank
Yekovich and had her last two children. He passed away in 1975. Mona married Jesse Patrick in 1979,
and helped raise his two youngest sons. She was widowed for the third time when lung cancer claimed
him in 1988. She worked tirelessly as a waitress in order to care for her family during those difficult
times, and always had a positive attitude.
After the loss of Frank, Mona got her GED and began nursing school, where she made many friends. The
group of friends often got together at Mona’s, where her older kids would play guitar and they would
have singalongs and jam sessions. Mona could harmonize by ear, and the sessions were even more
special when her brother Paul was visiting and could join. His bass complimented her alto voice so well,
and folk songs such as “Down in the Valley” and “You Are My Sunshine” were favorites of the family.
The love of music was inherited by all of her kids, and her remarkable memory for lyrics was useful. She
once assisted Fred and Frank Wolking of Sons and Brothers with the lyrics to a classic song, and they
gave her credit in the album notes. Everyone thought that was pretty neat.
When Mona met Jesse she left nursing school and became a stay-at-home Mom. Her home was always
open to anyone who tagged along with her kids at lunch, and she knew how to stretch a dollar better
than anyone else. Mona enjoyed this life for ten years until Jesse passed, and she once again had to
pursue a means of supporting her family. She began classes for Criminal Justice, and soon was hired on
at DOC. She spent almost ten years as a staff member at CTCF, where the inmates called her Miss Mona;
she was respected greatly by all. A knee injury forced her into an early medical retirement.
Mona was a born caretaker who never knew a stranger. Her home was always open; she loved to feed
people and make them feel welcome. She was a great cook, an avid reader, a word puzzle wizard, and a
queen of crosswords – especially the Sunday editions. She never missed an episode of Wheel of Fortune
or Jeopardy! and always knew most of the answers. She passed on her love of those shows, and some of
her smarts, to her children. Mona was google before google existed. Her children will truly miss the
opportunity to see whether she knew the final Jeopardy answer or not, especially if they knew it. Those
moments were rare indeed.
Mona was also known by many to be a yard sale guru. She spent many Friday and Saturday mornings
plotting out her route and hitting all the sales. She very often had a “wish list” from various people who
had asked her to look for certain things. She loved the thrill of the hunt, and often was able to find
exactly what they needed, no matter how odd the request. She also loved buying tchotchkes to display
in her home, and would redo her home décor by rotating them and having two yard sales herself each
year.
Mona also loved plants, gardening and sharing helpful hints and cuttings of her own plants with others.
She especially enjoyed it if she could help start someone’s plant collection going. She also was known as
a plant saver, as others would give her their struggling items and she would bring them back to life.

Mona was tough as nails; she handled three different joint replacement surgeries and rehabs with very
little complaint. She was a “mom” to far more than the children she raised, and will be fondly
remembered by so so many, but especially by “Mona’s Clan.”
Mona is survived by her children Debbie (Joe) Peter, Linda (Dan) Slater, Lester (Sue) Cecil, Bert (Dave)
Stiefel, Apryll Cecil, Johnny Walden, Laurie Yekovich, Joe (Karen) Patrick, Roger (Jamie) Patrick, Linda Sue
Coke, and Robert (Michele) Yekovich; her siblings Pat Wilson, Paul McMasters, and Jimmie Passmore; 27
grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter; and numerous nieces and
nephews.
Mona is preceded in death by her parents, three husbands Lester, Frank and Jesse, two sons KJ Yekovich
and Travis Cecil, two step-sons she considered her own Keith and Rick Yekovich, a grandson Sam Cecil,
and brothers Lee and Joe Burns. She is also preceded in death by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
No services will be held.

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