Patricia Ellen Nieman

Pat Nieman (nee Bristol) passed away peacefully on February 1, 2025. She would have been aged 94 on her birthday in May. Pat was a resilient woman and spent a great deal of her life caring for others. She was born in the Chicago area, the youngest of 3 children. At the age of 15 she went to work at her father’s 24-hour diner, dropping out of high school to help support her family. She met her husband Fred Nieman during this time and married at age 17. She gave birth to her first child Patti at the age of 21. Patti contracted meningitis at 18 mos. and the resulting brain damage required dedicated lifetime care. Pat worked with specialists to learn all she could about Patti’s condition and found special programs and schools to help her develop and thrive. Pat became a lifelong activist for people with disabilities, helping to raise awareness and understanding as well as policy support. Pat gave birth to 3 more children including a set of twins at age 30, she was busy and engaged in raising her family. At age 32, she became the caretaker for her mother and her mother-in-law. Both had health issues and required full-time care which was difficult in a small apartment. Ever the problem solver, Pat found a house for sale in Cicero, IL., and scraped together a down payment. She loved this neighborhood and lived there with her family for 34 years. She made good use of the community playground and public pool and enjoyed sitting on the front porch with family in the summer evenings. Pat joined the workforce in 1970 and worked full-time until the age of 76 in the special needs transportation industry, first as a bus driver and office manager for Diversey bus in Cicero and later as a manager, trainer and router for PACE bus.

Following the death of her husband in 1986, Pat managed alone for many years until she met her partner Ed Matras in 2000. Both widowed early, they were able to enjoy time and experiences together, particularly their love for the Chicago Bears.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Frederick L. Nieman, and her daughter Betty (Mark) Matras, her siblings Betty Patterson and Frederick Bristol and her partner Edward Matras. Pat is survived by her daughters Patti Nieman, and Gail (Paul) Auerbach and her son Rick (Beth) Nieman. She has 7 grandchildren whom she adored, making sure to spend quality time with each of them, plus her 9 great grandchildren.

Her service will be in May, details to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s memory can be made to UCP Sequin https://ucpseguin.org/get_involved/donate.html After filling out your personal information, select Memorial Contribution and enter Pat Nieman as the recipient.