Patricia Wyzbinski

Patricia Wyzbinski

September 12, 2016, age 65 years. Wife and partner in work, love and life of Scott Gelzer. Sister of Diane Young. Sister-in-law of Reed D. (Andrea) Gelzer. Aunt of Attalia (nee Young) Alverdes, Tekoah and Moriah Young, and Matthew, Andrew, and George Gelzer. Further survived by dear cousins, other relatives, and friends. Preceded in death by her son, Brandon Wyzbinski Gelzer; her parents Edward and Felixa (nee Adamczyk) Wyzbinski; and her sister LyndaMarie Wyzbinski.

Pat’s accomplishments in community service began during her college years. Her career in the nonprofit sector thereafter spanned five decades of achievement in Chicago and Milwaukee. She moved to Milwaukee in 1997 to oversee the Nonprofit Management Fund, the vision of the Greater Milwaukee, Helen Bader and Faye McBeath Foundations. The Fund is a highly accessible resource for small nonprofits in the Milwaukee area. Its innovation won recognition throughout the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

Pat preferred to work behind the scenes. She was most proud of community recognition such as the Athena “Goddess of Wisdom” Award (Chicago) and recognition for “organizational wizardry” from the Brady Street Association. She found the success of others more rewarding than her own.

She was devoted to her family, which will somehow carry on without her. She was an accomplished host and was never happier than when friends were in her kitchen.