Adrian Patrick Warnshuis

Our beloved Patrick died November 15, 2023, after 95 well-lived years. He leaves several
communities he was cherished in—most recently Roseville Commons Independent Living for 2
years,and for nearly 20 years before that in Port Jervis, New York, where his wife Shirley Carlton
and her family were from.

Born in 1928, the sixth of nine children to Dr. Gerrit and Mary Therese Warnshuis, the family
lived in the Great Lakes area until he was 10 years old, when his father was tragically killed in a
car accident. He and his older brother, Laurie, were sent to a boarding school in Canada for two
years, and then he went to a Catholic seminary (Pontifical College Josephinum), while Laurie
and the other younger siblings joined their mother in a move west to Santa Cruz, Ca. in the
1940s.

He was a favorite uncle to 38 nieces and nephews, and regaled our families with guitar sing-
alongs throughout our lives. He and his brothers were an enviable and hilarious clan to bearound, and they knew how to liven up frequent family gatherings. That’s to put it mildly–those lucky enough to have witnessed and been part of these gatherings know what we’re talking
about.

Three of his older brothers had served in the Navy during WWII (and one younger brother later).
He was 18 when he joined the U S Air Force in 1947, serving 20 years and retiring as a Major in
1967. He had a long, illustrious and heroic career with the Air Force, including serving on the
Presidential Squadron for two presidents (Truman and Eisenhower), in Korea during the Korean
War, and with Intelligence, leading to his capture in Central America in the late 50s. Although
never completing high school, he earned both a bachelors and masters degrees while in the Air
Force. After his 1967 retirement he went on to man the GE Space Center in Philadelphia,
training astronauts for our space program.

Patrick, as he was known to all, had a favorite song we often sang called “The Cat Came Back”,
which seems fitting as he appeared to live at least 9 rich lives in his 95 years. After his
retirement from the Air Force at the ripe old age of 38, he went back to school at Portland State
University to earn a Masters degree in psychology and counseling. He also got involved in the
Opera Society in Portland as an enthusiastic patron, hosting parties pre-performance. For his
next adventure, he and a partner began guiding whitewater raft trips in Oregon, which he owned
and operated as Captain Banana Boat Tours for 25 years.

At 70 years young he met the love of his life, Shirley Carlton, at a WWII PT Boat reunion in
Portland, Oregon(he was accompanying his brother’s widow, and Shirley, recently widowed, had
come from New York with her best friends) The stars aligned, they began a whirlwind romance
that took them on great adventures into Mexico, Europe, Hawaii. He relocated to Shirley’s
lifelong hometown of Port Jervis, and became an enthusiastic member of the community. Deep
friendships were formed with Shirley’s church, Port Jervis First Presbyterian Church. He also was an active thespian with the church’s theater group, the Presby Players. Many of them stayed in touch til the end of his life, as he greatly missed them after his move back to California
to be closer to Warnshuis family.

He stayed on 12 years in Port Jervis after Shirley’s death in 2009, to continue to help raise
some of her grandchildren, and remain active in the community. He loved and embraced her
five children and their families: Bob Carlton, Jerry Carlton (deceased), Steve Carlton, Michael
Carlton (deceased) and Elaine Carlton, and many grandchildren.

Returning to his West coast fold of the Warnshuis side of his big extended family, he was again
near his brother Laurie’s children and their families: Teri Gorman , Jan Adair, Kathy Wecker,
Francie Griffiths, and Greg (Laurent Jr.) Warnshuis. “Uncle Patrick” also is survivied by the
families of his sister Dolores Reilly, other brothers Fritz, Gerrit, and Jan, and many nieces and
nephews around the country. Over his long life he maintained close relationships with so many,
including the 7 children of his sister Mary Ann Smith of Rhode Island and 6 children of Frances
Margaret Grumblatt of Florida. Frances is his only surviving sibling, who just celebrated her
100th birthday November 18, 2023.

Uncle Patrick's influence on our next generations has been quite a legacy as well. Grand-niece
Kellie Lynn Funk (daughter of Teri, Laurie's eldest) said : "Uncle Pat was extraordinary. And
brilliant. Sentimental and hilarious. He inspired us all to engage and be curious about others--to
always be learning and stimulating our minds...he was so generous with his time. My grandpa,
his older brother, passed away decades ago, and Uncle Pat's been here celebrating life's
moments, making us feel heard, loved and comforted like a sweetheart elder does. I am so
grateful for every moment with him. I still feel like he will be at every gathering, his spirit most
certainly will. And I promise to carry on some of his timeless jokes."

Grand-nephew-in-law, Steven Pugliese (married to daughter of Francie, Laurie's fourth
daughter) said: "Uncle Pat was truly a great influence in my life. Pat was the reason I chose the
engineering degree path in college. He challenged me to challenge myself, and as a result,
altered my life's trajectory forever. He lived a truly unique, incredible, and fulfilled life. We
talked for hours on end about his military and government service. Some of the things he did,
and people he met were unbelievable (and those are just the stories that he could tell). You will
be missed, Pat...rest in peace, reunited with Shirley."

The family proudly awaits his burial at Arlington National Cemetery. The date has not been
given, as we have petitioned for graveside service with honors, which will be about a year plus
wait. For anyone wishing to be notified, please reach out to Teri Gorman,
[email protected] .