Patrick Pannell

Patrick (Pat) T. Pannell – beloved son, husband, father, grandfather, teacher, Navy Seabee, mentor, and friend, ended his life journey peacefully at Pathways Hospice on January 25, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Pat Pannell was born on November 29, 1947, in Memphis Tennessee; a happy smiling red headed baby who was the only child of William (Red) Pannell and Doris Baldwin Pannell. He was the happy smiling red head (also affectionately known as The Big Guy, Big Red, Mr. Red, Mr. Pat, Grandpa and Pops) who brought laughter and joy to the world throughout his life. He grew up in the small town of Elaine, Arkansas and shared many heartfelt and funny stories about life in that small town. He graduated from Elaine High School and received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas. After earning his bachelor’s degree and learning that he would soon be drafted, he followed in his father ‘s footsteps and joined the Navy Seabees. He built bridges in Viet Nam and developed lifelong friendships with those with whom he served. He befriended a 10-year-old Viet Nam boy who loved to spend time with “Big Red” every day he could. While in Viet Nam Pat and his fellow Seabees “adopted” a goat as their mascot. Those colorful goat stories kept us in stitches. When he returned from Viet Nam he worked construction in Chicago, Arkansas, and Florida before returning to school and receiving his master’s degree in construction management from the University of Florida. When he was in college, he took the test that many of us take to give us some insight into our best career path. His read “outdoor clerical.” We often laughed about that because that was our Pat. He loved everything about the outdoors; fishing, hunting, camping, skeet shooting, hiking, and biking. Construction management was the perfect “outdoor clerical” career for him. He married Carolyn Butcher Dunham in 1977 while he was working in Alaska. Together with Carolyn’s son Arlo, who he lovingly adopted, they drove the Alcan highway from Miami Florida to Alaska in January 1978 so he could begin his next construction project. After a year in Anchorage, Pat moved his family to Gainesville, Florida. He owned his own construction company there until 1992. He built many residential and commercial buildings and managed job sites large and small throughout his career. In 1992 Pat worked on his PhD at Colorado State University and taught construction courses there when he was a teaching assistant. He taught construction management courses at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota for 11 years prior to his retirement. He loved teaching and enriched his classes with stories of his experience in the industry. Many of his students at Colorado State and South Dakota State became his lifelong friends after he retired. Pat is survived by the family and friends that he loved and to whom he gave all his devotion; his wife, Carolyn,(married 46 years, in love for 50), his son Arlo, his former daughter-in-law Tricia, his grandchildren Michael, Michael’s wife Kelbi, Kimberly, Andrew and Christine, his cousins in Tennessee and Arkansas, Carolyn’s brother Ken Butcher and his wife, Mikki, nieces, grand nieces, nephews, and grandnephews on the Butcher side of the family, and many lifelong friends that knew him in high school, the Navy, college, and throughout his career. Pat was the foundation of our family. He taught us about camping and the great outdoors. He passed on his life skills and his construction skills. He was our guiding light and mentor through good times and difficult times. His love and patience and words of wisdom gave us strength . He will live forever in our hearts. Pat’s memorial services will be at the Cheyenne National Cemetery, 8611 Hildreth Road, Cheyenne, Wy at 1:00 p.m. on June 7, 2024, followed by a celebration of his life at Goes Funeral Care (3665 Canal Drive, Unit E, Fort Collins, CO) from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Friends and family are invited to attend either or both events. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Pat’s name to Pathways Hospice of Northern Colorado, 305 Carpenter Road, Fort Collins, Co. 80525.