Patricia Ann

Kunst

Patricia Ann Kunst (nee Lang) of Mishawaka, Indiana, passed away on November 6, 2026, after a long happy life. She was 96.

Pat was born January 20, 1930, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Robert J. and Teresa (Heyda) Lang. She attended St. Stephen’s Catholic School and graduated from Marywood Academy in 1947. That same year, her beloved little brother David died of polio at the age of eleven, and she grieved him the rest of her life.

In 1950 Pat married Kenneth J. Kunst just a few weeks before the Army sent him to Austria for the Korean War. When Ken returned, Pat encouraged him to take advantage of the GI Bill to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an engineer. Years later, when their children were all in school, Ken encouraged her to follow her childhood dream as well, and in 1976 she graduated from Southwestern Michigan College as an RN. Pat enjoyed caring for patients at South Bend’s Memorial Hospital for seven years and then for another seven at the state psychiatric hospital in Madison, Indiana.

Pat and Ken lived most of their life together in Niles, Michigan. There they raised “seven wonderful children” (Pat’s words) and all survive her: Scott (Jane Raymond), Kim (Roman Smith), Terry, Marcy (Missy Bennett), Nancy, Tammy (Mark Krumpoch), and Amy (Rob Nichols). Pat is also survived by 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and two foster great-grandchildren, all of whom brought her great joy; by her sister- and brother-in-law Lib and Ted Eckert; and by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends, including the children of her brother Bob who brightened her days with cards, calls, and visits right up until the end.

Pat had a deep faith. She was open-minded and loving, and she taught her children to stand up for what they believed in. In the 1960s, she was an active supporter of the civil rights movement. She and Ken joined a local inter-racial discussion club where they met Robert and Virginia Lewis. Pat sponsored Virginia’s membership in her philanthropic sorority and helped the Lewises move into her neighborhood, integrating both. The Lewises became lifelong friends, and their children stayed in touch and visited, even after they moved to the West Coast, which Pat treasured.

Pat was a creative person and an art lover. Her grandfather Joseph Heyda was the head woodcarver in a furniture factory and several of his pieces are now in the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Pat dabbled in painting, sewed Halloween costumes for her children, decorated elaborate birthday cakes, refinished antique furniture, and knitted and gave away dozens of afghans. She also filled her house with paintings by local artists as well as reproductions of Van Goghs and Picassos that she cut out of magazines and framed.

Pat was an avid genealogist, volunteered at historic house museums, and especially loved the Bonine House in Vandalia, Michigan, which is being restored by the Underground Railroad Society of Cass County. She had a great memory and enjoyed telling entertaining stories from her own personal history.

Pat loved the water, made sure all of her kids took swimming lessons, and delighted in seeing her great-grandchildren playing in the water as if they were half fish. She enjoyed singing and taught her family dozens of old songs such as “You are My Sunshine” and “Way Down Yonder in the Paw Paw Patch.” In her later years she enjoyed gardening, watching the birds at her feeders, and eating cookies, ice cream, and pastries from Macri’s Italian Bakery.

In their last few years together, Pat and Ken often sat on the couch holding hands and talking about how lucky they were. As his health declined she took devoted care of him until his death in 2021. She was also preceded in death by her siblings Bob, Mary (Esch), Dick, and their spouses.

Pat was able to spend her final years at home, lovingly cared for by her son Terry, daughter Amy, nurse Anne Smith of the Center for Hospice Care, and four angelic caretakers, Betsy Fox, Lori Stanage, Darcy Hansen, and Tracy Lewellen, all of whom filled her days with joy. Though Alzheimer’s eventually diminished her beautiful memory and made it hard for her to put her thoughts into words, Pat was undaunted, and she continued laughing and enjoying life right up until the end.

Visitation will be held at 10:00 am on Friday, November 20, at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka, Indiana, followed by a funeral mass at 11:00 and then a graveside service at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Osceola, IN. Afterwards Pat’s family invites you to join them for lunch and reminiscing at one of her favorite places, Wellfield Botanic Gardens in Elkhart, Indiana.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Pat’s memory to the ongoing restoration of the Bonine House at urscc.org or to Catholic Charities at catholiccharitiesusa.org which works to reduce poverty, advocate for social justice, and support immigrants and others in need.