Pat E. DeLapp

Patricia (Pat) Eileen DeLapp was born on April 25, 1934 in Kansas City, Kansas, to parents Arthur and Carrie DeLapp. Pat was raised in the Kansas City area and graduated from Westport High School. 

After graduating from high school, Pat worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company and was the first woman to climb a telephone pole to work on telephone lines. Pat attended night classes to get her degree, she graduated from Rockhurst University with a bachelor's degree in engineering. She worked for Southwestern Bell for 38 years before she retired. She was also a lifetime member of The Telephone Pioneers of America. 

Pat was described as a person who was full of life and adventure. In her free time, Pat enjoyed travelling, most notably to Mach Picchu; riding horses, her family fondly remembers her riding in the American Royal Parade every year; golfing in both the Sunflower and Tomahawk Leagues, and in her youth, competitive roller skating. 

Pat was on the board of PSI: Psychic Studies Institute: Adventures in Consciousness, as well as a member of MUFON: Mutual UFO Network. Both groups she took pride in.

On July 19, 2025, Pat passed away peacefully in Overland Park, Kansas. She will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. 

Pat was preceded in passing by her parents, Arthur and Carrie DeLapp; sister Shirley J. Odell; and nephew Robert G. Odell III. She is survived by her sister Kathleen Schmeltekopf; nephews Patrick and Tim McKinney; niece Tracie Clark; great and great-great nieces and nephews; and many other loving friends and family members.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to Wayside Waifs.