Patrice Lierley

Patrice Lierley passed away on April 26th, 2024 after a swift and tumultuous battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Pat was born on May 9th of 1954 to Earl C. and Geraldine W. Lierley (née Walenz) in Omaha, Nebraska. Pat attended Swanson Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. The Lierley family moved to Algona, Iowa in 1964 which was a rough adjustment at first for Pat, then in 5th grade. Pat eventually made lifelong friends at Algona Middle and High School. Pat graduated from Algona High School in 1972. During her time there she was a member of Student Council, choir, National Honor Society, as well as participating in various plays and musicals.

Pat enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1972 where she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Pat graduated from Drake with a Bachelor of Arts in 1975. She remained a resident of Des Moines, Iowa for the rest of her life.

After graduating from Drake with her bachelors, she became a counselor at the Iowa Girls Training School in Mitchellville, where she met her future husband, Thomas J. Southard III. She then worked at Planned Parenthood of Iowa, an organization whose work she so valued as a lifelong feminist. She returned to school in 1980 to pursue a law degree at Drake Law School, graduating in 1982. Pat clerked for the Iowa State Court of Appeals from 1982-1983 and passed the Iowa state Bar Exam in 1983. Pat then worked with Dr. Marc Raversby practicing medical malpractice law. After several years of raising children, Pat also worked later in life at US Bank as a Fraud Investigator.

Tom and Pat were married on January 2nd, 1982 at a small family ceremony at Tom’s family’s farm in Laurel, Iowa. Tom and Pat were joined by their first daughter, Jessica, on January 7th, 1988. The couple welcomed their second daughter, Emily, on April 20th, 1992. The family enjoyed watching the girls play soccer, weekend bike rides, and traveling several times to Costa Rica. Pat was very active in the PTA at her daughters’’ elementary school, Downtown School, frequently volunteering for student activities. The family took a memorable trip to France in 2008 to join Jessica at the end of her study-abroad program through Grinnell College.

Tragedy struck the Lierley-Southard family on June 20th, 2017, when a house fire occurred while Pat and her daughter Jessica were visiting Pat’s sister Karen in Algona, Iowa, killing Jessica and Karen. Pat was devastated by the event, though she was comforted by her close relationship with her husband, Tom, and remaining daughter, Emily.

Pat was known by her many friends for her keen wit, unpretentious nature, immeasurable compassion, and devoted care. Pat was a safe harbor in stormy weather to those who knew and loved her, and she always had an open heart and home for family and friends. Pat was a dedicated mother. She endlessly encouraged her daughters in their academic pursuits–Jessica was pursuing her J.D. at Mitchell Hamline Law School when she passed, while Emily plans to receive her Ph.D. at Penn State University in May of 2025. Her daughters’ dedication to using their intellect to make their world a better place was Pat’s greatest pride.

Pat is preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Geraldine Lierley, her sisters, Karen and Kathleen (Eppler) Lierley, and tragically, her daughter, Jessica Southard. Pat is survived by her husband, Thomas J. Southard (Des Moines, Iowa), and daughter Emily Southard (State College, Pennsylvania), her brother, Michael B. Lierley (Lafayette, Colorado), and his wife Julie Lierely, and sons Connor and Evan, as well as nephews Patrick James (PJ) and Tim Eppler of Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, respectively.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the charities Pat supported in life: Food Bank of Iowa and Iowa Legal Aid. Pat’s memorial service will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines, Iowa under the direction of her family on Saturday, May 4th at 11:00 AM. A visitation will be held at Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown, Iowa from 5:00-8:00 PM on Friday, May 3rd.