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Obituary from Claremore, OK:
Jan “JP” Michael Patronek, 74, passed away peacefully on 10-Jul-2021. He was born on 3-Apr-1947, in Bremerton, WA to the late Walter Patronek, Sr. and Elva Mae Patronek. He is preceded in death by his brother Walter Patronek, Jr.
Surviving are his three children, Candace Jan-Michelle McCurry (John), Michael Lee Patronek, and Dalton James Patronek. Grandchildren are Sara Brock, Raleigh Patronek, and Ronin Patronek.
After graduating high school, JP was drafted into the US Army, attending Basic Combat Training, Infantry Advanced Individual Training, Jump School, and Infantry Officer Candidate School, becoming a 2LT of infantry before serving 2 tours in Viet Nam. Served as Jumpmaster for two non-profit civilian paratrooper organizations. Other professional trades were owning two paint and body shops and restoring Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Services are pending at this time.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Jan, please visit our floral store.
From our MHS 65 gallery:
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https://www.ricefuneralservice.com/obituary/Jan-Patronek
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Sally Skei (Donovan)
I am so sad that Jan has passed on, but know that he lived his life "My Way". He was a very bright, creative man. I remember a tale of his from our high school years. "I was at the Sno-King Drive In with a young lady. When the movie ended and I started my car, it had started raining very heavily. It was then that I discovered that my windshield wipers didn't work... I asked her to take her pantyhose off, tied them to the wiper blades and had manual control. When I took her home, her father greeted us as we were late, and said he understood." I am sure there are many stories of his ingenuity, but that was the only one I heard from him." He was a very brave soldier and a few years ago wrote in a veterans magazine about some of his experiences there. RIP Jan. We were lucky to have you.
Paul Tomlin
RIP, Soldier. And a hearty hand salute.
Carol Buschman (Szender)
Jan lived just two houses up from me. When my family moved to Lynnwood, when I was nine, he was one of the first neighbors I met. Being the only girl my age on our block, Jan, another kid, Billy, and I played together that first summer. Would you believe, even back then, we played Army in the woods next to my house, hiding behind logs and shooting our Mattel rifles at the "enemy"? In sixth grade, at Maple Park Elementary, he was in the accelerated level class, along with several of us who continued on to Meadowdale, so you know he was smart. However, by that time, "boys will be boys" and "girls will be girls," and we had nothing to do with each other from then on. I think fondly of those early days when I was accepted as a tomboy and am impressed how Jan carried on with his Army ambitions. RIP, Jan.
Mike Sylte
This is actually the first time I've gone on site to leave a comment. Didn't do it for one of my best friends Brad Lindell and there's been a couple others but as the list grows, the people remaining become a little closer. Hated to see Patronek on the list. He was one of those guys that everybody liked and he liked everybody and never at a loss for words or a smile. Dang, first time I've seen the list of those who've passed there and there's too many people on that sucker. Hang in there everyone and maybe we all get together at a 60 year reunion. The way its going, we won't need a very big place so we have to slow it up on the memory list !! Guess you put your name on these things too. Mike Sylte
Karen Kraatz (DeBruler)
As I sit here looking at my 1965 Mesika, there is a photo of Jan perched on a desktop, chatting us up in journalism class. He was always good for a snappy comment, often rude, but funny. He and I became friends in that class during our senior year. After we graduated and went our separate ways, we stayed in contact. We wrote letters back and forth after he joined the army and when he went to OCS. After he finished his training and before he was deployed to Vietnam, he drove over to WSU (my sophomore year) to see me. He said he was making the rounds of friends before he left.
He often presented with a rough exterior, but he had a good heart. I'm really glad I got to witness that heart of his. Rest in peace, Jan.
George McLouth
Many of you knew Jan. Good or bad, opinions about Jan were seldom neutral.
Jan and I bumped around together since Mrs. Krause’ 7th Grade Home Room at Lynnwood Junior High and spent our early lives and military careers together. Our lives seldom crossed paths after Janice and I moved to the United Kingdom in 1993. Nonetheless we had occasion to reminisce over some the extraordinary experiences we enjoyed.
Jan began his Army career on June 30, 1964 with joining the 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry, WA Army National Guard which was based then at the armory on Oakes St, Everett. After graduation from MHS he decided to become an Army Paratrooper. By the fall of 1965, he was selected at age 18 to enter Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Graduating in October, 1966 Second Lieutenant Patronek was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.
Jan soon found his way to Vietnam as an advisor to South Vietnamese Army units just in time for the Tet Offensive of Spring, 1968. Jan’s exploits were subject of a later article in History.net.
https://www.historynet.com/one-mans-tet.htm
Then Captain Patronek did a second tour in Vietnam as a company commander in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. After several years in the Army Airborne, Patronek returned to the civilian world becoming a Police Officer in North Carolina, operating several auto and motorcycle businesses and lastly as a private investigator. In 1982 he joined Army Special Forces and served seven years. He moved to Oklahoma where he remained until his death.
Jan never managed to exorcise his love of military parachuting. He became a jumpmaster/instructor for the World War II Airborne Demonstration Team based in Oklahoma. He stayed active with this group of volunteer reenactors until his physical health said “no more”. https://wwiiadt.org/
As I began this I offered opinions were often anything but neutral. Jan was my lifelong friend and a combat tested, genuine war hero. I hope his rest brings the peace that sometimes eluded him in his later years.
RIP Trooper…