Obituary: Wahls

Patricia A. Wahls of Pontiac, 80, was called home on January 1, 2026, at Evenglow Sr. Living, Memory Care (Inn), Pontiac from complications of Alzheimer's, Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinsonism. 

Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 8, from 4 to 7 pm, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Chenoa. Funeral services will be 11 am, on Friday, January 9, also at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 405 Emma St., Chenoa, Il. Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, Chenoa is in charge of services.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Evenglow Senior Living, or the donor's favorite charity.

Patricia was born in Lost Prairie, Texas; a daughter to Capt. William and First Lieutenant Bunny (Henderson) Steele, RN, USA, on February 23, 1945, (The day Marines raised our Flag on Iwo Jima)!

She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, Clairton, Pa.1963 and Grove City College, BS Executive Secretarial, 1967, a competitive swimmer at both. Pat was an International Fellowship Exchange Student to Columbia, South America in 1962. Her first employments were as an executive secretary at Gulf Oil, then J&L Steel corporations both headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she answered calls, "J & L Steel Corporation, Director Ewart's office, Miss Steele speaking", and having to endure, "Oh, how nice. Miss Steele, a secretary for a steel corporation!". 

Being adventurous, she became an Officer of Marines in 1972. 2nd Lt. Steele was assigned to The Infantry Training School, Camp Pendleton, Ca. as its' Disbursing (pay) Officer where she met her husband, Captain Roger Wahls. Their relationship matured while together attending off-duty graduate education in business at Chapman University. They married on December 28, 1974, in Pittsburgh. In 1976 their next assignment was to Fleet Marine Force Pacific Hq., Camp Smith Hawaii, where Capt. Pat Wahls was Disbursing Officer. Pat resigned in November 1977 due to medical complications resulting from drinking water contamination at Camp Lejeune, N.C. when attending Disbursing Officers School the Summer of 1973. In the late 1980s the water was discovered to have been contaminated by industrial pollutants. In 1979 Roger's next post returned them to Camp Pendleton and the 1st. Marine Division near San Clemente, Ca. Pat became choir director of their church, Faith Lutheran LCMS, Capistrano Beach, and a Discussion Leader, Class Secretary and Asst Teaching Leader of Bible Study Fellowship International, Mission Viejo until 1991 when they moved to Pontiac subsequent to Roger's retirement from active duty. Pat enjoyed her new community. She began working at Champion Fed S&L, then as secretary of Pontiac Redeveloping Our United Downtown (PROUD) from 1993-1997, next as secretary of Trinity Lutheran Church, Pontiac from about 1998-2005. She also served as Choir Director at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Chenoa from 1992-2019.

Pat is survived by her husband; their son Joshua, Bloomington, Il.; her sister Deborah (Joe) Petrone, San Clemente, Ca.; sister-in-law Jane (Bill, deceased) Steele, Tuckahoe, N.Y.; brother and sister-in-law Dean and Karen Wahls, Pontiac; nephews and nieces Stetson, Colin and Reed Steele and their families; Jackie (Dan) Schrader; Mike (Robyn) Wahls and their families. She was pre-deceased by her parents and her brother Rev. Dr. Bill Steele.

Pat was an accomplished needle pointer, sewer and knitter who earned 2nd place in the National Counted Cross-stitch competition of 1993. She was a member of a local cross-stitch group of friends, (whose husbands humorously referred to as "stitch and bitch"). She was an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction and current events. Pat relished tent camping with Roger and Josh in the mountains of Ca., Park Co. Ind., and Starved Rock, Il. She cherished her friends and family. She was a member of PTHS Band Moms, Vermillion Valley Chorus, Livingston Co. Farm Bureau, St. Paul Lutheran Church LCMS, life member of Disabled American Veterans, Women Marines Association and member and past president of 20th Century Literary Club, Pontiac.

Her family wishes to thank Evenglow Sr. Living Memory Care nurses and CNAs who provided exceptional loving care to Pat during her residency.

Per Pat’s wishes, being a selfless person, she wanted to help further research to help aid in the cure or remediation of Alzheimer’s type of diseases through the Anatomical Gift Association.