Patricia Ann Stancliff was born September 15, 1949 to Ray and Dorothy (Stubblefield) Stancliff in Bakersfield, California. Always one to do her own thing, Pat decided that in the third grade she was done getting taller. Luckily, she had already reached her adult height of six feet two inches tall.
After high school and college, Pat spent time in Alaska, Texas and then back to California. In December of 1977, Pat moved to Eastern Montana to stay. She soon met a tall, tobaccy chewin’ farmer and rancher named Ray Banister.
On February 29, 1980, Pat and Devon joined Ray in marriage and moved south of Wibaux. Life was perfect for almost a full fifteen months, when suddenly it became clear things were going to change. Not only was Devon getting an annoying little sibling, but two of them, and to make matters worse, they were girls.
Over the next forty years, Pat did a lifetime of things while raising three kids with Ray. While they were in school or through all hours of the night, she would pull staples, tie buttons, and reupholster everything from rocking horses to classic car interiors. When the twins reached high school, there was a need for a hardware store in town, and thus the Wibaux General Store opened with Pat and Penny Obrigewitch as co-owners.
Somewhere in there, she also found the time to train as an EMT and was a proud part of the Wibaux Ambulance Service as well as a deputy for the Wibaux Sheriff’s office. Pat enjoyed trapshooting with her mother, and became an accomplished shooter winning many trophies and titles, including Montana State Championships in handicap and doubles. For the last several years, Pat and Ray worked with the 4-H shooting sports in Wibaux County.
After a decade of working long hours six days a week, Pat decided it was time to slow down, and worked part time for a couple of years. Then an even better opportunity came along, a second chance to help raise some decent girls, when she became babysitter and best friend to two of her granddaughters, Amelia and Sophia. Even with all the hours she put in out of the home, she always had time for her family.
Pat loved having her family in her home, either for a holiday or just because. Her grandkids were very special to her, and whether it was rescuing them from Mexican Jail or just offering a snuggle to watch a Disney movie, Grandma Pat was there. It was quite a miracle to see that after the Banister children grew up thinking candy and sweets were only for special occasions, the Banister grandchildren found Grandma Pat’s house had chocolate and cookies and cakes and pies in every cupboard of the house.
In 2015, Pat suffered a stroke in her home. Overcoming that stroke was a challenge, but she worked hard and never complained. While in Denver for a small procedure to do some touch up work on her original stroke repair, Pat suffered another stroke shortly before being released to come home.
This time it was too much, and Pat passed away February 12, 2019. Pat is preceded in death by her father, Ray Stancliff. She leaves behind her husband of almost forty years, Ray; her mother, Dorothy Stancliff of the family ranch; her sister, Shelly (George) Kuck; her sons, Devon Banister and Larry (Kim) Law; her daughters, Jennifer (Brian) Miller and Janet (Aaron) Morgenstern along with her grandchildren, Lane Banister, Mackenzie (Jude) Hintz, Zach (Faith) Tysver, Chelsi & Autumn Law, Amelia and Sophia Fladager, Elliot and Reece Morgenstern and Allison, Adam and Emily Miller.
She also had two great grandchildren, Samuel Hintz and Elena Tysver. She also leaves behind an aunt, numerous cousins and a lifetime of friends. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Wibaux Ambulance Service, Wibaux County 4-H or your local hospice organization.
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