Pat graduated as valedictorian from Huntley High School in 1965. She began her college career at Kearney State College and was a member of Delta Zeta sorority. She transferred to the UNMC College of Nursing where she earned her BSN.
After graduation Pat worked as a staff nurse at Bryan Hospital. She later taught at Lincoln General School of Nursing and UNMC College of Nursing.
Pat received her Masters in Nursing from the University of California San Francisco and her PhD from the University of Nebraska. She served as the dean and professor of the Nebraska Wesleyan Nursing Department, where she spearheaded the development of the Masters of Nursing Program and the RN-BSN program. She retired from Wesleyan in 2008.
Students loved Pat for her ‘down to earth’ and common-sense approach to learning. When students were asked what they liked best about NWU’s Nursing Program, the same theme came through. “We like Dr. Pat Morin’s supportive nature and caring commitment to students. We feel like she really cares about our becoming successful. She encouraged real life learning, not from just a textbook. She gave examples of how to use what we were learning in our daily roles as nurse leaders and educators.”
Pat’s engaging personality and love for educating nurses sparked collaborative relationships with the directors of Union College, Bryan School of Nursing, and Southeast Community College to design entry pathways for diploma and baccalaureate students to obtain next-level degrees in nursing.
Pat was later asked to step out of retirement and become the director of the new Master’s of Nursing program at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska and also teach in the new Doctoral Program, which she did until her second retirement in 2010.
Pat kept in touch with many of her students even after graduation and her retirement. Students knew she was always willing to answer questions, give suggestions, and catch up over the phone, on Zoom, or over a cup of coffee somewhere.
She served in several organizations, including the Lincoln Country Club, Sorosis, and Sigma Theta Tau (National Nursing Honorary Society), for which she was a founding member of the NuRho chapter.
Significantly, she was a recipient of the Joslin 50-Year Medal from the Joslin Diabetes Center, which recognizes individuals who have lived with insulin-dependent diabetes for 50 years or more.
Apart from her professional achievements and accolades, she was the absolute best, #1, awesome aunt.
She is survived by her husband, Richard Morin; sister, Donna Boudreau; nephews Michael (Jodi), Mark (Signe), Scott (Mindy), and Eric (Brandy); as well as several sisters- and brothers-in-law.
A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 10, 2025, at Cathedral of the Risen Christ (3500 Sheridan Blvd, Lincoln). A visitation will be held on Thursday, October 9, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., concluding with a recitation of the rosary beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Roper and Sons South Chapel (3950 Hohensee Dr., Lincoln NE). A graveside service will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the Alma Cemetery in Alma, NE.