Patricia Carstens

Patricia R. "Pat" Carstens, age 78 of Melrose, passed away Monday, January 22, 2018 at the CentraCare Health Hospital in Melrose, Minnesota.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, January 25 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Meire Grove with Rev. Gabriel Walz officiating. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery in Melrose.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Patton-Schad Funeral Home in SAUK CENTRE and from 1 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the church. Parish prayers will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday evening at the funeral home in SAUK CENTRE.

Patricia Rita Budde was born January 16, 1940 in Melrose, Minnesota to Lawrence and Helen (Rose) Budde. She was united in marriage to Ronald Lieser on May 7, 1960. Ronald passed away and on July 25, 1964, she married Richard "Dick" Carstens at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Ward Springs. After her marriage to Richard, the couple moved to Charleston, South Carolina where Dick was stationed in the U.S. Navy. They moved back to Melrose in 1965 where she was a homemaker, raising four children. Many years later, Pat and Dick moved to Texas and then Arizona where they started a printing business called Business Cards Tomorrow. They owned and operated the business for 25 years until Dick's passing. In 2009, Pat moved back to Melrose. During her retirement, she enjoyed going to casinos with her brother and sister-in-law, Sheldon and Joan Budde and her aunt, Rita Hiltner.

She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Melrose.

Survivors include her children, Tim (Kristen) Lieser of Alexandria, Minnesota, Jon (Uyen) Lieser of Utah, Philip (Deana) Carstens of Arizona, and Teresa (Jim) Fernandez of Arizona; ten grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and brothers, Sheldon (Joan) Budde of Melrose and Mark Budde of London, England.

Pat was preceded in death by her first husband, Ronald Lieser on July 7, 1962; second husband, Richard Carstens on May 16, 2000; parents, Lawrence and Helen Budde; and step-father, Ervin Eichers.

Serving as casket bearers will be Eric Lieser, Michael Lieser, James Fernandez, Kevin Fernandez, Matthew Carstens, Hunter Carstens, and Cody Erkkila. Cross bearer will be Raschell Carstens and scripture bearer will be Judy Beletti. Placing of the Pall will be Kristen Lieser, Bun Lieser, Deana Carstens, and Jim Fernandez. Gift bearers will be Amiee Lieser and Michael Ramos.