Patrick Moriarty - Brookings

April 12, 1955 - Sept. 10, 2018

Posted

Patrick Jerome Moriarty, D.V.M., M.D. 63, of Brookings, formerly of Bemidji, Minnesota, passed away Monday, September 10, 2018, at Avera McKennan Hospital, in Sioux Falls

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Nebish, Minnesota. A visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 12:30 p.m. with a Rosary being prayed at 1:30 p.m. A second Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings. Visitation will be held prior to the service beginning at 9:30 am with a Rosary being prayed at 10:30 a.m. Rude’s Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

On April 12, 1955, Patrick Jerome Moriarty was born in Brookings, South Dakota, to John and Bernice (nee Goven) Moriarty. He was the fourth of nine accomplished children. Although he may have passed away at the young age of 63, he lived a faith-filled life full of adventure. He was all about life. 

The activities of his childhood became the foundation of his future endeavors and vocations. It was during this time that he discovered his love of wildlife and nature, and found his passion for healing the wounded. The Moriarty and Goven families instilled in him the values of a strong work ethic, self-discipline, loyalty and love of family. While battling leukemia as a teenager, Patrick promised God that if he was healed, he would take advantage of every single moment of every single day to do God’s work. . . and he did just that. 

Patrick attended South Dakota State University majoring in animal science in the pursuit of a future as a veterinarian. Thereafter, he attended Kansas State University and obtained his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 1980. Upon graduation, he contemplated a future as an orthopedic surgeon, but being pragmatic he realized he needed to pay back school loans and thus headed north to Fairbanks, Alaska. It is here where he would travel to remote areas and fix up wild, exotic and domestic animals; no animal was excluded. While working as a veterinarian, Patrick met a number of interesting people and pets. However, the most significant pet he met was a dog named “Nenana” who belonged to a strikingly beautiful woman named Michele Karaba, a Montessori teacher who had recently moved from her home in Michigan. She became the love of his life. They were married in 1989. 

With the encouragement and nudging of his wife and family, Patrick started medical school at Creighton University at the age 35.  After completing medical school he was accepted into the residency program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he achieved the position of Chief Orthopedic Resident. His training also included sports medicine and hand surgery fellowships. During his medical training, Patrick and Michele were blessed with three beautiful children: Gregory Jerome, Matthew Phillip, and Natalie Michele. Upon completion of his medical training, Patrick sought a town much like his beloved Brookings in which to raise his family. He found this in Bemidji, Minnesota. 

Patrick and Michele established their home, raised their children and participated in their parish and community. Patrick was employed at North Country Regional Hospital as an orthopedic surgeon. In his practice, no surgery was beyond his skill. He worked long days treating patients all hours of the day and night. He was a patient and compassionate doctor who took great pride in knowing that he helped people to alleviate their pain and improve their quality of life. He was an amazing doctor! 

In 2008, Patrick’s family suffered the loss of his beloved wife due to illness. Thereafter, he continued his full-time medical practice, maintained his household and reared his three teenagers. Patrick’s parenting style was unique. The children’s time spent with friends had to be productive; there was no such thing as just “hanging out.” Friends of the family were often invited to their home, but soon discovered that promised meals were contingent upon the completion of the daily chores. The food was always worth the wait, because Patrick was an excellent cook as a result of the many hours that he spent in his mother’s kitchen working by her side.

As a child, Patrick displayed an enormous sense of humor, often playing pranks on his siblings and friends. As a teenager, he desired to keep a hawk that he had found, so he slyly gave it to his mother as a birthday present and pre-named it Martha, a name his mother favored. Naturally, she had to accept the gift. . . at least for a short time. He was also quite a romantic, taking his wife on a date to the local dump to dispose of trash. In true South Dakota style, he gave his wife a stuffed jackalope head for her birthday. While in Alaska, he often worked long hours and when his assistants and friends questioned why he was working in the middle of the night, he responded, “Sleep is optional!”

In his spare time, he enjoyed working around his home, creating his “Castle on the Lake” to entertain his family and friends. He was so proud of his home. In recent years, he enjoyed traveling with his family and friends to faraway places for deep-sea fishing, hunting and seeing the sights of the world. 

This past year Patrick returned to Brookings to work at Avera Medical Group. It was here that he reconnected with of his friends and old friends of the family who relayed stories of his parents, siblings, grandma, Cecilia Moriarty and uncle, Paul Moriarty. 

These stories brought back many memories of Patrick working at the Bunny Wash’n Dry, Moriarty Construction, Campus Pharmacy, City Drug, Ben Franklin and his family’s apple orchard. He treasured hearing these stories which confirmed his belief that Brookings is “a special place” and truly his home.

Patrick is survived by his children, Gregory of Brighton, Colorado, Matthew of Bemidji, Minnesota, and Natalie of Duluth, Minnesota; his siblings, David (Jennifer) of Brookings, Mary Moriarty of  Brookings,  the Hon. Joan Moriarty (Gregory) and husband Thomas of St. Louis, Missouri, Leo (Eleanor) Moriarty, D.D.S. of Summerset, Gerard (Jean) Moriarty of Brookings, Michael (Maya) Moriarty, D.D.S., of Seward, Alaska; and many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins who he loved dearly. He is also survived by many friends that we now consider family. Patrick is preceded in death by his loving wife, his parents, brothers, J. Gregory Moriarty, M.D, Charles X. Moriarty, D.D.S. and infant brothers, Mathew, Mark and Phillip. 

Patrick lived an amazing and fulfilling life. He was a teacher at heart and demanded much of himself, always giving his very best in everything he did. Everyone was worthy of his time and talent, no matter their walk of life.  He was remarkable and personified the “Moriarty Way.”

We miss him dearly, but know his legacy will live on. Our family sincerely appreciates the many prayers, and all the love and support we have received over the past few months.

 Condolences may be sent to the family through www.rudesfuneralhome.com.