WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Senator John Thune today announced that his mother, Yvonne Patricia "Pat" Thune, 90, passed away this morning. Memorial arrangements are pending.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news of the passing of my mother," said Thune. "She was a devoted and loving mother and encouraged my siblings and me to work hard and always strive to do our best. I am grateful for the love and grace she shared with us, and I am comforted by the thought that my mother has been lifted up to her eternal home with our Savior."

Pat Thune was born in 1921 in Pontiex, Saskatchewan, Canada, to Leslie and Dorothy Bodine. After graduating from Marshall High School in Minneapolis, Pat enrolled at the University of Minnesota where she met her future husband, Harold Thune. On June 1, 1943, Pat and Harold were married in a Methodist church in Melbourne, Florida, where Harold was completing his advanced flight training for the U.S. Navy. 

After the war, Pat and Harold settled in Murdo, South Dakota. The couple spent 15 years running the Thune family hardware business, and then worked in the Murdo school system, where Harold taught and coached for 21 years and Pat served as the high school librarian.

Pat and Harold have five children, including: Robert of Omaha, Nebraska; Karen (Senkbile) of Central City, Nebraska; Richard of Rowland Heights, California; John of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Tim of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Pat's parents and her brother preceded her in death.

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