Patricia Renner Timm

Patricia Renner Timm, age 74, passed away on October 7, 2026 at Christopher House in Austin, Texas after a valiant two and a half year battle with pancreatic cancer.

She was born March 28th,1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest daughter of Sara Helen and Otto Washington Renner, Jr.

To know Pat was to be enveloped in her warmth, her genuine interest, and her boundless compassion. There was nothing more important to Pat than her family, and her list of who she counted as family was broad and inclusive. She loved hosting family gatherings and she was always eager to pull up an extra chair for friends and acquaintances. She was famous for striking up conversations with strangers and “picking up” new friends at music shows. To be welcomed into her circle of family and friends was to have a friend for life.

Pat and Greg met on their first day of school at Ithaca College; she thought he was a math nerd and he thought she was a cheerleader (they liked to joke they liked to joke that only she was right). They went on to have many great adventures together through college, graduate school, and over 51 years of marriage. She was the most amazing mom to Emily and Zach and mother-in-law to Joe, a cherished grandma to Ella and Rafael, and a mother figure for countless cousins, friends of her children, and young people who she welcomed into her home over the years. She also never turned away a cat in need of a home, including Paddywack, who stayed with her until the end.

Pat was a gifted teacher and a lifelong educator. She taught at Maryland School for the Deaf for 37 years, working with hearing-impaired children aged from birth to three years old and their parents. She inspired a love of learning in her students, her children, grandchildren, and the many teachers she mentored over the years. Whether it was reading a book, exploring a park, or teaching granddaughter Ella to quilt, she always sought to expand the horizons of her loved ones.

Pat loved hiking and traveling and cross-country car camping trips were a hallmark of her summer vacations, crisscrossing the continental United States no less than 4 times. Eventually Pat and Greg traded in the Dodge Caravan for international travel, venturing to Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Peru, Ecuador, Australia, Greece, China, and Spain in their retirement years. In 2014, Pat commemorated her retirement by hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, adding to the many miles she hiked in Maryland with her beloved hiking buddies, “The Walkie Talkies.” She was also a tennis enthusiast and played on a team for many years in Maryland.

Pat became an avid quilter later in life and she crafted the coziest baby blankets and beautiful handmade quilts that she gifted to many family members and friends. In 2018, Pat and Greg left their long-time home in Maryland and relocated to Austin, TX to be closer to their grandchildren (and the live music scene in Austin). During the pandemic, Pat came out of retirement and ran a “pre-school” for her grandkids until their schools reopened. Pat and Greg loved the live music scene in Austin, and even throughout her cancer treatment they never stopped going out to see their favorite artists at the Saxon Pub, the 04 Center and the Mucky Duck in Houston.

In addition to her mother and father, Pat was preceded in death by her brother “Wash” (Otto Washington Renner III) and sister-in-law Pamela Renner.Pat is survived by her loving husband of nearly 52 years, Greg, as well as daughter, Emily, son-in-law Joe Rocha and grandchildren Ella (9) and Rafael (7); her son Zachary, of Austin, TX; sister and brother-in-law Penny and Peter Montague of Ashburn, VA; brother and sister-in-law Michael Renner and Maria del Refugio Gudiño Enriquez (Cuquita) of Colima, MX. Pat was a light in our lives and her kindness and generous spirit will live on in the friends and family that she gathered around her.

We will hold two Celebrations of Pat’s life. On November 11, 2026 we will celebrate Pat’s life at one of her favorite places in Austin, the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. Click here for details.

A second celebration will be held at the Maryland School for the Deaf on December 12, 2026. Click here for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to one of the causes that Pat so passionately supported during her life: to fund reproductive rights and access to healthcare for Texas women please support The Bridge Collective or the Lilith Fund. If you prefer to support her commitment to dignity and justice for immigrants please make a gift to Workers Defense Project or United We Dream.