Pictured are Patti and Dan Messenger, who were married for more than 30 years. This is their children's favorite photo.

A friend described Patti Messenger like this: “She always had a smile on her face. She loved life, was vivacious and happy. She was a free spirit. She was passionately in love with Jesus and her kids.”

Patti, 58, died on Sunday, May 27, after a short illness. Visitation will be held in the Green Bay Community Church Chapel on Friday, June 1, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. with the funeral to follow.

Patti was a regular GBCC attender and loved to serve at church. She participated in the Women’s Wednesday Morning Bible Study serving project on May 16, shortly before she became ill.

“Patti was active and giving right up until the end,” said Libbie Timmons, a shepherd elder at GBCC who facilitated the Wednesday Bible study that included up to 40 women.

“She had a joy-filled faith, an absolute trust in God. She was so contented in her life. She felt God so present.”

Patti took the Bible study very seriously.

“She always questioned more deeply,” Libbie said. "She was diligent in doing homework, being in the Word. She was always the one that would say, 'I’m sorry, I just don’t get this.’ I always welcomed that. It generated discussion. It shows she wasn’t going through the motions. Her faith was simple and straightforward.”

Although Patti battled Type 1 diabetes since childhood, Libbie said she never complained. It didn’t stop her from biking, running with her dogs, canoeing and going up north to the family cabin.

One family member said Patti liked mini-bikes, go-karts, sports and Danny Gokey concerts, but the most important thing to her was her church and her children.

Patti grew up in Marinette, where she met her future husband, Dan, at age 12. They began dating at 16 and have been married for more than 30 years. The Messengers have two adult children, Carly and Jack.

Patti earned a nursing degree at UW-Madison and worked at Bellin before retiring about 10 years ago.

“What a sweet, joy-filled contented woman she was,” Libbie said. “She was very strong in her faith."

The Wednesday women’s group normally does a book study in the summer. Libbie said Patti expressed a desire for the group to read Randy Alcorn’s book entitled “Heaven.”

"It’s a beautiful book about heaven,” Libbie said. “It's kind of very touching. That’s the one she wanted us to read and now she’s an expert on that."