Patricia “Tricia” (Hains) Cassens

Born May 11, 1943, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Frank and Georgiana Hains, Tricia fought strong against both a long and then a short battle with cancer, passing away on August 4, 2017, at Chaplaincy Hospice House in Kennewick with her family by her side.

Tricia was the oldest of four children with siblings William (Bill), Paula and Debra. 

In her early adult life, she married and moved to Washington state in 1966.  Her two sons Michael and John Elsen were her focus and great joy. Once the boys were older, she started to work at the US Department of Energy (DOE) so the family could fund the boys’ college educations.  She worked for DOE from 1982 until her retirement in 2004.  Mom was excellent at her job, and people at work still make comments about how good she was and that they appreciated her for it.

Tricia is preceded in death by both parents and her brother Bill.  She is survived by husband Jim Cassens of Richland, WA; her two sons, Michael (Kathryn) Elsen and John (Angela) Elsen; step-children Tanner (Chelsea) Cassens and Katie (Jim) Lynch; grandchildren Kristin Elsen, Jennifer (Lloyd) Bouslaugh, Michelle Cobern, James Cobern, Byrnlee Cassens and Lane Cassens; great-granddaughter Amelia and another great-granddaughter on the way; sisters Paula (Mike) Campolo and Debra (Eric) Keslov.

In the early 1990s Tricia made strong friendships through groups like “Starting over Single” and she began to take dance classes that included swing and other formal dancing.  During her 26 years of dancing with her Tri-Cities friends, she met her husband at his first dance class.  Adventures awaited Tricia and Jim and they were married in 2003.  They danced up the aisle at their wedding and they continued to dance almost every weekend.  Dancing, romancing, and lots of fun awaited both of them including trips to Hawaii, Disneyland, ocean cruises and tours through the Redwoods and through National Monuments in the southwestern US. 

Tricia loved climbing Badger Mountain and kept track of the trips made up and down each season.  She was an excellent seamstress, applying her passion of creating (she sewed much of her boys clothing when they were young) to quilting, creating wall hangings with intricate patterns and table runners and decorations. Joyful highlights of her week included dance sessions with her husband Jim and “girls day” with friends where she would work on her quilting projects and create hand-made cards and interact with the gals. Tricia loved reading a good book (voracious reader) and spending time with her many friends. 

Mom did a lot of living during her 13-year battle with cancer.  She showed tremendous courage, determination and focus — and it was inspiring, still able to teach us all life lessons up until the end.  We are glad to have been able to tell you these things at a time when you were able to understand them, Mom. 

Thank you so much for being patient with us and teaching us how to do long division, write in cursive, teach us about the birds and the bees and how to drive a 1973 Super Beetle stick shift.  Thank you for all of your support when we growing up playing sports year round.  All the hours you spent outside in bad weather, waiting in the car until practice ended so you could safely return us home or watching a baseball game that ran past midnight in the July summer heat.  We fondly remember that time you had to stand-in for Dad and coach a Colt League baseball team because there needed to be an adult in the dugout and he was stuck at work.  The 15- and 16-year-old boys didn’t necessarily understand why there needed to be dugout seating assignments with no yelling or spitting, but we eventually warmed up to the new approach and were able to let your coaching career conclude with a perfect 1-0 record.  Thank you for teaching us how to say the things that other people might be reluctant or fearful to say — when something needs to be said.  Half of us is you, and we are very glad to have learned how to be private and introverted people except for those times when we aren’t. 

During Mom’s initial hospital stay at Kadlec in June of this year as she battled the cancer that had spread to her brain, one of her boys was leaving the room for that day and she told him to “behave” ... just like she did when the boys were going to leave the house as teenagers growing up.  She never stopped being a Mom and we thank her for that!   You will forever be loved, never forgotten and are already greatly missed.  The stars in the sky are brighter because you are there.

Thank you Tri-Cities Cancer Center nurses, doctors and staff for your loving care of Tricia over the last 13 years so she could choose a rich life and the chance to play with her friends.  Thank you Chaplaincy Hospice House for your kindness to Tricia and her family. 

A celebration of life event will be announced and held in the near future.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Tri-Cities Cancer Center, the Chaplaincy Hospice House of Kennewick, or to the Friends of Badger Mountain.