Patricia Elizabeth Bosma
June 4, 1938-Dec. 20, 2025
Pleasanton, California
Patricia Elizabeth (Uspel) Bosma of Pleasanton, California, died peacefully on December 20, 2025, at the age of 87.
Patricia was born on June 4th, 1938, to Vincent and Marilyn (Zvinak) Uspel in Chicago, Illinois, where she spent the first six years of her life and greeted her brother Richard in March 1944. The family then moved to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, where she attended first a one-room country schoolhouse and then Rhinelander High School.
Patricia graduated with a BA in Literature and Vocal Music from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. There she met a handsome tenor, Douglas Bosma, who would become the love of her life, and auditioned for and won a scholarship at the Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts.
In Philadelphia she developed her beautiful soprano voice and earned an advanced degree in Vocal Music, singing opera and classical music by day and performing in nightclubs to supplement her scholarship funds.
After Patricia’s graduation from the Academy of Vocal Arts, she and Douglas were married in 1964 and worked as teachers in Sheboygan, Wisconsin until Peter was born in 1965. They moved briefly to St. Peter, Minnesota where Elizabeth was born, then to Le Sueur, Minnesota where he worked for Green Giant and where Mary, Timothy, and Sarah were born. In 1976 they moved to Chaska, Minnesota before Douglas took a job with Clorox and the family relocated to Pleasanton, California in 1978.
Patricia shared her love of music and her vocal talent throughout her life, whether with church choirs, civic organizations, voice students, or her own singing telegram company, Totally Tasteless Telegramz. She performed everything from opera to Broadway to Dolly Parton with artistry, panache, and the occasional rubber chicken, and brought joy to friends, family, and the community with her voice.
Music was only one of Patricia’s talents. She loved to draw and would frequently embellish the envelopes of the many, many letters she sent her family and beloved friends with her art. She plied her skills with the sewing machine to create beautiful suits and dresses as well as an entire zoo of stuffed animals for her children and grandchildren. An avid gardener, Patricia turned the plain front and back yards of her Pleasanton home into an oasis of roses, jasmine, lavender, geraniums, nasturtiums, succulents, and the occasional pumpkin. She loved to share her flowers with neighbors and would bring the products of her hyperactive apple tree — apple pies and apple butter — to anyone who asked.
Patricia never stopped learning or challenging herself. As her children left the nest, she earned a Masters degree in Psychology and Family Counseling from Cal State Hayward and worked as a counselor for the Tri-Valley Haven for Women in Livermore, then for Family Services of the East Bay and Westudillo Counseling Service in San Leandro. She joined her local Toastmasters to improve her public speaking skills and quickly became an integral part of the group.
Patricia was an anchor in the local Catholic community, including Cursillo, religious education, choir and music programs, prayer circles, prison ministry, bringing the Eucharist to shut-ins, and leading a grief support group. When Douglas was permanently disabled following an automobile accident in 2005, she became his caretaker and fierce advocate for the rest of his life.
Patricia is survived by her children, Peter Bosma, Elizabeth Hardage (Chris), Mary Bosma, Timothy Bosma (Jennifer), and Sarah Bosma (Jared Shucha); her grandchildren, Colin, Amanda, Hannah, Samantha, Malcolm, and Hunter; and her brother Richard. She was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent and Marilyn Uspel, and her husband of 58 years, Douglas Bosma.
