Patricia Ann Bingham

Patricia Ann Bingham passed away peacefully of natural causes in her home in Missoula on Friday, May 1, 2015. She was 80 years old.
Patty was born in Phoenix, Arizona on December 28, 1934, the first child of Douglas Raisin and Ruth Daily Raisin. She spent her childhood in Arizona and, during WWII, in Southern California. Patty attended college in Arizona pursuing a degree in fine art. She married her high school sweetheart, Gus Redman Michaels, and the couple had four daughters.
The second chapter of Patty's life began with her marriage to Ray Bingham and the family's move to Missoula in 1963, where they purchased a turn-of-the-century Victorian farmhouse, which they lovingly restored.
Patty found her calling as the owner and operator of "The Playhouse", one of Missoula's longest-running daycare centers. She provided loving service for forty years to countless children and their families, sometimes caring for the children and grandchildren of some of her original patrons. Almost every outing included Patty running into one of her former "daycare kids".
In her prime, Patty loved baking, gardening, and antiquing, drawing and woodcarving. She enjoyed traveling and was able to visit countries in South America, the South Pacific, and Europe with family and friends. She loved animals and birds, and kept her bird feeders filled to the end. She was an avid reader and loved crossword puzzles. Patty loved her church, First Church of Christ Scientist, and served in various capacities over the years. She loved the rugged beauty of Montana, from the first blooms of the Forsythia to the first blanket of winter's snow. Patty loved her family and her home, which was full of countless happy memories of her rich and active life.
Patty is survived by her four girls, Kathryn Michaels, her husband Mark Zuckerman and their sons Sam and Abe of Los Angeles; Sherry Broad, her husband Ian and son Henry of Conception, Chile; Wendy Blevins, her husband Brian and children Jane and Wyatt of Missoula; and Christine Grimes and Ross Gibson, and Chris' children Logan Hughes and Ben Grimes of Missoula; by her great-grandson, Elijah Owens of Missoula; and by her sister and brother-in-law, Judie and Mike Clark of Tucson, Arizona.
The family is planning a private memorial service.
Cremation was under the care of Garden City Funeral Home & Crematory. Condolences and memories may be left for the family at www.missoulafuneralhomes.com


Read Patricia Bingham's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.