Patricia "Patti" Lynn Wilson

Patricia “Patti” Lynn Wilson, 73, of Bellingham, Washington, passed away peacefully at home on March 8, 2026, after a brief battle with cancer. She faced her illness with the same positivity and humor that defined her life, surrounded in her final moments by loving family and friends. Her two sons, Ryan and Mike, remained by her side until the end.

Born on October 21, 1952, on Whidbey Island, Patti was raised in the Mutiny Bay area near Freeland. As the middle child and only girl among four brothers, she took on household responsibilities early and cared deeply for her siblings. After graduating from Langley High School, she briefly attended Western Washington University, where she met her husband, Raymond “Ray” Wilson of Bellingham. They married in 1974 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary shortly before Ray’s passing from dementia on June 30, 2024. The couple welcomed two sons, Ryan in 1975 and Mike in 1976, and in 1977 completed the home in Bellingham where they raised their family and where Patti lived for the rest of her life.

Patti was a devoted homemaker while her sons were young. As they grew, she worked as a clerk at Yew Street Groceries and later as a property manager for Sycamore Corporation. She devoted much of her later years to volunteer work, most notably with the VFW, where she spent years researching and writing a history of a local chapter, and with Dementia Support Northwest / Amy’s Place, where she continued serving until the end. A gifted artist, Patti turned the ordinary into something magical through painting, woodworking, stained glass, quilting, and more. She brought joy to others with reindeer figurines sold at craft fairs in the 1980s, quilts donated to AIDS patients in the 1990s, and the whimsical fairy gardens and play spaces she created for her grandchildren in the 2000s and beyond.

Above all, Patti was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, and friend. She is preceded in death by her parents, Patricia and James Thompson, her brothers Larry and Jimmy Thompson, and her husband Ray Wilson. She is survived by her brothers Randy and Mike Thompson, her sons Ryan (Carley) Wilson of Bellingham and Mike (Heather) Wilson of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and her four grandchildren, Anna, Cole, Ellie, and Jack Wilson. Her light and zest for life will be deeply missed.