Patricia (Pat) Louise Van Dam Looff passed away quietly the morning of January 25, 2024, in her home on West Beach at the age of 96.
Born on December 22, 1927, in San de Fuca, Washington, she was the youngest child of early Whidbey Island settlers Eldred (Al) Charles Van Dam and Johanna (Jennie) Marie Abrahamse. Pat grew up on the family farm on Van Dam Road and was a graduate of Coupeville High School (Class of 1946). She studied a semester at Western Washington State College before leaving to accept a job at NAS Whidbey as a Personnel Clerk in the Industrial Relations Office. It was at the base that she met her future husband, Donald Lee Looff.
Pat and Don were married on March 6, 1954, at the home of her brother Jack Van Dam in Oak Harbor. They established their first home in Merced, California, where Don was a civil engineering officer in the US Air Force. Their family began to grow in 1956 with the birth of Jean Marie, followed by Alan Charles, Debra Louise, and Cheryl Lynn. Apart from a break of several years in Oak Harbor when Don worked as a bricklayer, they were a military family – first with the Air Force and later with the Navy. They lived in Ohio, Nevada, California, Florida, and Washington, with Pat returning to Whidbey to be close to her family during Don’s three tours of duty in Vietnam. Don built a retirement home on West Beach that he named “Westwind” where the couple lived the remainder of their lives.
Pat enjoyed traveling, beginning with road trips with friends as a young woman. It continued with her excitement as each set of new military duty orders arrived. Later in life, she had the opportunity to travel extensively around the world.
Pat also loved people. She knew no strangers, only friends she hadn’t met yet. There was never a visitor who wasn’t met with a smile and offered her Dutch hospitality – coffee and butter cookies. Pat was devoted to her family as it grew and grew over the years. She was a regular fixture at school events for her grandchildren who lived close by.
But more than anything, what defined Pat was her Christian faith. She read her Bible daily, tithed regularly, and practiced what she believed her entire life. A member of the First Reformed Church, her beliefs were the bedrock of her existence to the very end.
Preceding Pat in death were her parents, a stillborn brother (James), young sister (Cornelia), and brother (Jack). Pat’s husband Don passed away in the spring of 2019. Sadly, she had to say goodbye to granddaughter Erica, great-granddaughter Haley, and great-grandson Zion far too soon.
Pat is survived by her daughter Jean Looff (Roma Jenkins), son Alan Looff, daughter Debra Jansen (Dwayne), and daughter Cheryl Looff Yoder (Rex). She also leaves behind her brother Mike Van Dam (Jan), 13 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and 9 nieces and nephews and their spouses.
