CWRU mourns loss of staff member Patricia Hannan

When Patricia Hannan started working at Case Western Reserve University 18 years ago, it was inspired by a family connection. Her niece was employed at CWRU through a temp agency and encouraged Hannan, an East Cleveland native, to join her in University Circle. Hannan, who was deeply devoted to her family—siblings, nieces and nephews—found a second family at CWRU.

Now, both her personal and professional families are mourning her loss after Hannan passed away June 26 at the age of 67. Today (July 8) would have been her 68th birthday.

Prior to coming to CWRU, Hannan worked for 30 years at Oglebay Norton Company before retiring in 2008. She went on to work at CWRU through Kelly Services for two years, and in 2010, she transitioned into a full-time role as department assistant in the Department of Auxiliary Services. 

“We were like family and she was just fantastic,” said Michael Kurutz, her supervisor in the Department of Travel. “She lived, slept and ate CWRU. You could say that’s a cliché, but it was Pat—she lived that every day.”

Known for her dedication to her work, Hannan was responsible for the department’s financial reconciliation process for university travel. She worked closely with preferred travel agencies and departments across campus to ensure charges were appropriately dispersed—down to the cent. 

Her lively personality was evident in the way she approached her work and interacted with her colleagues.

“You knew when she was in the room,” said Mary Luberger, a friend and colleague of Hannan’s. “Pat was very outgoing and she genuinely wanted to do the best she could for everybody.”

Hannan was not one to be intimidated by a challenge. At the end of each month, her colleagues watched in awe and followed her lead as she carried out the process with precision, often putting in extra hours to meet the deadline. Hannan completed the process on time each month—without fail—no matter how she was feeling, bringing the same enthusiasm, integrity and force of will to the sometimes tedious work. Before Hannan, the process was notably less organized. Kurutz credits her with building a new system that was much improved.

“It's not an easy process by any means, and she was in control of the whole ecosystem,” Kurutz said.

Even her family knew how critical those last days of each month were. 

“I knew about month end,” said her niece, Tina Hannan, who previously worked at CWRU and inspired her aunt to join her. “[I knew] don’t bother her—she’s busy. She’s on the line with hotels and credit card companies.”

Tina always knew she’d see her aunt soon. Hannan was one to always make time for others, according to her colleagues. Kurutz called her the “gold standard of reliability” and shared that the team knew that no matter what they needed or when, Hannan was ready to assist.

“If you were lucky enough to know her, she always went out of her way to help,” said Luberger. 

Outside of work, Hannan’s greatest priority was her family. As her niece Tina navigated college, job transitions and the birth of her first child, she said her aunt was always there for her. When she needed a car, Hannan stepped up with cash to help purchase it.

Hannan herself never learned to drive and often relied on public transportation to get around. In recent years, Tina gave her aunt rides home from work.

When Tina and her brother were children, Hannan often took them into the city aboard the Rapid to visit Tower City and catch events at Gund Arena.

“I got to tell her ‘thank you’ a couple weeks ago,” Tina said. “I took a Teaching Cleveland tour, and I knew certain things about our city that I learned from her.”

Tina also shared she’s grateful for the family her aunt built on campus.

“Our family is very thankful that people all across campus would check in on her and tell her hello,” she said.

Memorial services for Patricia Hannan will be held Friday, July 24, at 3 p.m. at Watson's Funeral Home (10913 Superior Ave., Cleveland).

Students who would like support during this time are encouraged to contact University Health and Counseling Services at 216.368.5872 or schedule an appointment online through MyHealthConnect, or access 24/7 online support through TimelyCare. Faculty and staff counseling services are available through AllOne Health, the university’s Employee Assistance Provider, at 800.227.6007 or online.