Patricia K. Bresina

Patricia “Pati” Kay (Zielke) Bresina was welcomed into her eternal life by her son, Arthur “Artie” Bresina; brother, Terry Zielke; parents, Patrick and Beatrice (Forer) Zielke; parents-in-law, Arthur and Rita (Schindler) Bresina; niece, Erica Kurz; nephew, Evan Bresina; grandnephew, Payton Zielke; and brothers-in-law, Michael Spies and Jim Wrighter in the early hours of Friday morning, March 6, 2026, surrounded by her family. After a valiant 3-year battle with breast cancer, Pati is now at peace with her son in Heaven.

She will be forever remembered as one of the funniest and most joyful people to all of those who were lucky enough to know her. Her memory will be carried on by her husband, John “Jack” Bresina, of nearly 49 years, her daughters, sons-in-law, granddaughters and grandson-in-law: Chelsea Bresina and Jason Frentzel, Kaylee (Gehrt) and Clay Rauch; Vanessa and Andrew “Andy” Kane, Phoenix and Emmaline; along with her siblings and siblings-in-law: Tom (Lynn), Tim (Adam), Sheryl, and Susan; Tony (Barb), Connie (Michael), Kay (Rick), Pat (John), Bill (Heidi), Bud (Missy), and Brenda (Barry), along with her aunts and uncles and countless cousins, nieces and nephews, grandnieces and nephews and all of the many, many friends she made along her journey.

Patricia came barreling into the world on May 19, 1952, growing up in La Crosse in the house her dad built. After graduating from Central High School in 1970, she moved to Minneapolis to pursue her nursing degree, which is where she met her future husband, Jack. They were married on May 30, 1977, and moved to Arizona shortly after, where they raised their three children. They split their time between Arizona and Wisconsin to get the best of both climates, before moving back to Wisconsin full-time in 1997.

Pati had a lifelong passion for nursing, specifically OB nursing, which was her career for nearly 40 years. You can’t throw a stone in Chippewa without finding a baby she helped deliver or a mom she took care of post-partum. She loved her fellow nurses and especially loved caring for babies. She was known as “the baby whisperer” by her family, due to her ability to get fussy babies to sleep.

Pati was an avid sports fan. Through the years she had her favorite players and teams, the Phoenix Suns (and her man Charles Barkley), the Green Bay Packers then the Minnesota Vikings (and her man Brett Farve), and most recently the Minnesota Wild (and her man Kirill). She also enjoyed word games and playing cards, board games and making videos with her grandkids, who were her greatest pride and joy, while they taught her Gen Z lingo and how to navigate Snapchat.

When she wasn’t with her family, Pati’s favorite way to spend her time was traveling in Italy. If she could have moved her entire family to Campodolcino, she would have. Instead, she made do with traveling there often, exploring all the beautiful areas of Italy, including her grandmother’s birthplace, while drinking Limoncello and eating Caprese salad to her heart’s content.

We will be celebrating the joyous life of Pati with a visitation held at Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel in Chippewa Falls on Thursday, March 12 from 4-7 pm with a Nurses Honor Guard Tribute at 6 pm.

Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Tilden on Friday, March 13 at 2 pm with visitation beginning at 1 pm at the church. Interment will be at St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the burial.

Pati’s mission in life was to spread laughter and joy wherever she went. If you feel comfortable, please wear bright and happy colors to the visitation and/or services. In lieu of flowers, please donate to whatever cause or charity you desire. 

In parting, live each day with a sense of humor and in Pati’s words, “It’s ok to get mad, just don’t stay mad. And if you have to be mad, wear a cape so you can be super mad.” We will miss you every single day, Patricia.