Velma Orpha (Valentine) Patchin passed away on July 7, 2026, just 21 days short of her 107th birthday. She was born on July 28, 1919 in Arthur County Nebraska on the family ranch to Lynn Byron Valentine and Orpha Belle (Shaw) Valentine. She enjoyed growing up there with her four brothers. She learned early to value the hard work required of the Kincaiders and Homesteaders who started building their lives with just dreams and lots of drive and grit on the prairies of the Nebraska sandhills. Some of her favorite memories included their time on the lake that was stocked with bullheads. People would come from all around to fish there and it was easy to catch hundreds at a time. She and her brothers sometimes skinned them for people and one man offered a penny per fish but they were done so fast, he thought it was too much. Their dad said if you won't pay, then you don't get the fish. He paid. The lake also provided winter entertainment for skating and playing hockey where they often made their own equipment.

When she was just 15, the family watched in sadness as their whole herd of livestock was taken away. Her dad had co-signed on a loan for his father who defaulted. He lost all he had worked so hard to accumulate and had to start over. She and her four brothers had to quit school and get jobs at other ranches to help with the financial burden. A few years later in November of 1938, just as he was beginning to build his herd back, he died from gangrene poisoning because of a ruptured appendix.

Even though times were tough, she shared how happy she was one year when she had earned enough money to buy a new pair of shoes that cost $5 ordered from either Montgomery Ward or Sears; both catalogs were invaluable for many reasons :).

Velma married William Ray Patchin from Dewey, Oklahoma on May 22, 1939 in Ogallala, Nebraska. They had four children in five years; Ronald, Gloria, Gary and Allan. Taking care of her family meant lots of really hard work. They lived in various places over the years: Texas, Center Nebraska, Niobrara Nebraska, and Hastings Nebraska where Bill worked at the Navy Ammunition Depot as his part of military service during WWII. They moved to Omaha in 1949 where Bill worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as a switchman until he retired in 1980. Family vacations were trips back to Arthur to visit family and go fishing or visit the Patchin family in Nampa, Idaho.

She loved her family, her home, sewing, cooking, cake decorating, gardening, playing cards, doing puzzles and we all loved playing a fun card game we called Nuts (Nertz). She never missed celebrating a birthday or holiday including making beautifully decorated cakes and she made the best bbq ribs, homemade beef and noodles and dinner rolls. She loved making clothes for her granddaughters and then later for her great granddaughters and great-great granddaughters.

She loved having the grandchildren over. They would always try to stay up all night to watch the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon but they couldn't quite do it. They looked forward to her breakfast of pancakes cooked in bacon grease and topped with Karo syrup and peanut butter. Sometimes she would buy Red Baron frozen pizza that they would 'doctor up' to make it better. She was always up for a fun game of badminton or croquet.

She worked at Brandeis department store in downtown Omaha and then later worked for Goldstein Chapman at the Westroads Mall. After they both retired, they traveled the United States and Canada, partly as vacation and partly for Bill to continue his research into family genealogy by visiting cemeteries.

Because of the selfless care Ronald gave her, she was able to stay in her home until she died. They loved watching rodeos and game shows together and going to Village Inn where everyone knew their names.

She was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her son Allan, a Vietnam War veteran who died in 1969, and her bothers; Leslie (Hazel) Valentine, Cecil (Wilma) Valentine, Virgil (Hazel) Valentine, Ollie (Lauretta) Valentine; and nieces and nephews.

She is survived by her children; Ronald Patchin, a Marine veteran, of Omaha; Gloria (Patchin) Houston of Omaha; and Gary Patchin of Plattsmouth, grandchildren; Kevin Houston (Vicky) of Omaha, Kristine (Houston) Bowman of Omaha, Jeff Patchin of Omaha, Renee (Patchin) Sandahl of Plattsmouth, great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.