Loading the player ...
First Lady Patricia (Patty) Severe
First Lady Patty Severe is the wife of Michael (Mike) Severe, the 2011-2012 Imperial Potentate of Shriners International.
She was born to Victor and Dorothy Hansen and raised in Swan Lake (Viborg), S.D., where she graduated from Hurley High School. Lady Patty comes from a large family, and has an older brother, Ken Hansen of Granite Bay, Calif., an older sister, JoAnn Murray of Sioux Falls, S.D., and a younger sister, Vicki Hansen of Westminster, Colo. Her younger brother, Rick, was tragically killed in a fire when 17 years old. Her parents worked the family farm for many years; her father also worked in the local fertilizer plant. Growing up on a farm with a lake helped establish Lady Patty’s love of the outdoors, which continues today.
Lady Patty and Imperial Sir Mike Severe have been married for 11 years and reside in the Colorado National Golf Club community in Erie, Colo.
She has two children from a previous marriage – Aaron Nelson, who is an owner/partner in H&N Landscape in the Phoenix, Ariz., area, and Amanda (Mandy) Nelson, R.N., a charge nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital’s GI laboratory in Lafayette, Colo. Aaron and his wife, Denise, and their children, 14-year-old Sydney and 11-year-old Derek reside in Chandler, Ariz. Mandy and her partner Ben Boggs reside in Thornton, Colo.
Lady Patty moved to Colorado from South Dakota in the early 1980s and was a stay-at-home mom, spending her time caring for her family. She also graduated from Barnes Business College and began a career in health care in 1987 at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. She has remained with the organization for more than 24 years and currently works in the administrative department of the hospital’s Caritas Clinic, which provides a full four years of training for medical residents, particularly in acute illness intervention, chronic disease management, and prevention-based counseling and screening. “It is amazing to watch how much they learn and grow while here with us,” said Lady Patty. Much of the care is provided free to a largely indigent population.
Compassionate and caring, Lady Patty has been involved with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity through Saint Joseph Hospital, as well as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Walks to Cure Diabetes. Her daughter Mandy has lived with Type 1 Diabetes since age 13. Patty is a member of El Mejdel Temple No. 47, Daughters of the Nile in Denver, and supports the organization’s charitable efforts, especially the support of Shriners Hospitals for Children®.
In her free time, First Lady Patty loves to be outdoors, and especially enjoys running, boating, motorcycle riding and hiking, In addition to spending time with her family.
Support the First Lady's Program Now
First Lady Patty Severe's 2011-2012 fundraising program, "Stepping Forward Toward a Brighter Future," is focused on increasing awareness and fundraising for pediatric burn care education and training.
To learn more about Lady Patty's program, or to make a donation visit http://support.shrinershospitals.org/site/PageNavigator/FirstLady.html.