Patricia Poliskey Evans, 74, of Parkersburg, W.Va., passed away Nov. 7, 2015, at Marietta Memorial Hospital, Marietta, Ohio, after a long battle with cancer.
A stem cell transplant at Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital provided seven cancer free years.
Born in January 15, 1941, in Baltimore, Md., Pat was a daughter of the late Paul Boxley Poliskey and Geraldine Fern (Krumbine) Poliskey.
She was preceded in death by both parents; and her husband, Vernon Griffith Evans.
She is survived by her loving sister, Susan Neely of Parkersburg.
Pat was a 1958 graduate of St. Albans High School, St. Albans, W.Va., and in 1962 was granted a BA in journalism by Marshall College, Huntington, W.Va. Following graduation, she worked as a reporter for the Charleston Daily Mail and a public health educator for the W.Va. Health Department.
In 1966, her interest and dedication to public health intensified after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, with a Masters in Public Health. After returning to the state, she became the first director of the Comprehensive Health Planning Agency for the Office of Governor.
A move to New Orleans, La., resulted in working as a senior health planner for the New Orleans Area Health Planning Council and an instructor at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University. She then accepted a position as associate executive director of the Health System Agency of South Florida.
In 1981, she became the executive director of the Council of Education for Public Health, an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit graduate schools of public health. For 23 years, she served in this position, retiring as Executive Director Emeritus.
Throughout the years she held several appointed and elected positions in the American Public Health Association and was a founding member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors.
After retirement, Pat returned to W.Va., and discovered a rewarding life after work. Always loving class reunions and get-togethers, these years were spent reconnecting with friends and enjoying the company of new ones. An accomplished watercolor artist whose primary focus was landscapes, she loved taking workshops and painting with other artists. Winters were always spent in Tucson, Ariz., providing another opportunity for creative work. She leaves many lovely memories and pictures.
Pat was a member of the First Unitarian Univeralist Society of Marietta.