Catherine Patricia Riesenman

Catherine Patricia Riesenman, 86, of Bloomington, Indiana, died June 7 at Bell Trace Rehabilitation Center. Pat was born in Franklin, PA to Joseph and Catherine (Geary) Riesenman on November 3, 1932. Pat graduated from Meadville High School, where she was class valedictorian. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Allegheny College and was again Valedictorian. The college president recommended her for year’s fellowship at Radcliffe College, where she completed requirements for a Management Training Program. Pat then applied for a Rotary International Scholarship and studied for a year at a German university. She subsequently enrolled in master’s and PhD programs at Indiana University in Bloomington and received a PhD degree in German in 1966. Pat enjoyed living in Bloomington and teaching German at the university until she came up for tenure. Very few women were receiving tenure at that time, when the Women’s Movement was in its infancy. When she did not receive tenure, Pat experienced failure for the first time. She decided to pursue a Master of Library Science degree, which she received in 1977. She was given the responsibility at the early start of her career for leading others into the then new world of computer- based scholarly information. Students and faculty came to rely on her at the start of a research project and found a willing and accomplished collaborator. She spent the rest of her career as a reference librarian in the IU main library and retired in 1998. Her family was proud of Pat’s ability to overcome what she saw as failure and to embark on a second career she truly enjoyed. Pat was a wonderful sister and aunt and a special friend to many. A cancer survivor, she traveled the world, read voraciously – especially mysteries, relished a good joke, gave detailed explanations, and loved attending performances on the IU campus. She cherished the Bloomington community and especially her Friday evening dinner club, her MARS group, the members of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church Peace and Justice Committee, her godson, Tillman, her travel friend, Becky, and her caring neighbors on Eastside Drive. Pat grew up in a wonderful Roman Catholic family with the best parents one could hope to have. Her siblings remember her saying that she was a perfect child and, as the oldest, she could not understand why her parents kept bringing more children home. Each also remembers that when they met a new teacher, the question always was, “Is Pat Riesenman your sister?” Similar brilliance was then expected. Surviving Pat are siblings Joseph Riesenman, Franklin, New Jersey; Robert Riesenman (Mirella), London, England; Marian O’Leary (Joseph), State College Pennsylvania; Ruth Riesenman (Ronald Anderson), Indiana, Pennsylvania; eight nieces and nephews, and four grat nephews and one great niece. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, July 30, 2019 at 10:00am at the St Pauls Catholic Center. Burial will follow at Valhalla Memory Gardens. Cremation Rites have been accorded. You are invited to share a memory or leave an online condolence for Pat’s family at allencares.com

Tributes

Catherine Patricia Riesenman

November 3, 1932 - June 7, 2019