MARY PATRICIA “MARY PAT” HARNEGIE (nee Kullen) was the first-born of ten little miracles to the late Peter R. and Phyllis C. Kullen. She came into this world and was raised in the small steel town of Beaver, PA, northwest of Pittsburgh, and from the very beginning, she stood out. To say they “broke the mold” after her would be an understatement. Mary Pat was truly one of a kind, gold among a sea of monochrome.

She passed away on April 12, 2026. Mary Pat was a woman of extraordinary resilience, a two-time survivor of breast cancer and a survivor of skin cancer, before being taken far too quickly by gastric cancer.

Out of necessity, and out of love, she became a giver early in life. By the age of seven, she was already an adult in children’s clothing, changing diapers, feeding babies, cooking meals as a sous chef, tackling endless laundry, canning vegetables, keeping house, caring for her siblings, and even making bath water for the crew. She was, in every sense, a second mother to her brothers and sisters. And somehow, in the middle of all that, she still managed to carve out time to become an inelegant “Olga Korbut” at Turners Gymnastics in Rochester, PA, dedicating three whole years to the sport before gracefully throwing in the towel on that particular Olympic dream.

Mary Pat brought that same drive into the classroom, where she excelled academically and graduated in the top ten of her class. Her siblings remember her not just for what she did, but for who she was, her storytelling, her "British" accent, her gentle spirit, and her remarkable gift for seeing the best in people. She didn’t just believe the glass was half full, she was certain it was three-quarters full, and she made sure everyone else could see it that way too.

At 18, she left her small-town roots and headed west into what she liked to call the “state of confusion”…oh wait, Ohio. In Berea, she attended Baldwin Wallace College, where she double-majored in Biology and Political Science, because just one major would have been way too easy.

While at Baldwin Wallace College, she not only expanded her education, but also deepened her faith. It was shortly after she graduated that she met Don Harnegie, the man who would become her husband and partner in faith and life. Together, they built a family rooted in love, service, and devotion.

Mary Pat built a remarkable professional life defined by dedication, perseverance, and a deep love of learning. In her first career, she was a career insurance agent and agency manager for a Nationwide Insurance family-owned agency, working alongside her husband, Don, for more than 40 years. Even while successfully running the agency, she felt called to continue growing and learning.

In 2002, she graduated from Kent State University’s School of Library and Information Science, earning her Master of Library and Information Science. She had already begun her transition into her passion by starting at the Cleveland Clinic Alumni Library in 2000 as a library technician. By 2005, she became a Medical Librarian, all while continuing to help manage the insurance agency until Don’s retirement.

Mary Pat also served as a substitute librarian in the Cleveland Public Library system from 2003 through 2014, further extending her love of books, research, and helping others learn. She ultimately became a Medical Librarian III at the Floyd D. Loop Alumni Library and Library Manager at South Pointe Hospital within the Cleveland Clinic system, earning her AHIP credential along the way.

In her role as a Senior Medical Librarian with the Cleveland Clinic, she lived out her calling as a lifelong learner by staying curious, asking questions, and helping others find answers. Aside from her family, this achievement stood among her most cherished and proud accomplishments. She loved her work, she loved her colleagues, and above all, she loved learning and teaching others to do the same.

Mary Pat embraced her role as stepmother to Don’s four children, Don, Duane, Daren, and Dawn, with open arms, and later delighted in becoming Grandma to Jacob and Joseph.

They were further blessed with three children of their own, Jessica, Joshua (Heidi), and Julie (Kevin Haddix). Yes, the “J” theme was absolutely intentional, similar to the “D” theme of Don’s four other children. Mary Pat was their biggest champion and was always confident, often prophetically so, that they would go on to do wonderful things.

Of all the titles she held, daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, her favorite, without question, was Nana. Her grandchildren, Asher, Levi, Belle, and Judah, were her joy, her laughter, and her proudest legacy.

Mary Pat’s life was anchored in her faith. She never hid her love for Jesus Christ, and she lived that love out loud. Her home became a place of gathering, filled with Bible studies, fellowship, wings, pizza, and homemade pies, where conversations stretched for hours and everyone was welcome.

Together, Mary Pat and Don dedicated their lives to ministry. They spent years visiting and encouraging prison inmates throughout the Cleveland area, and for more than 27 years, they and their children faithfully served at the City Mission by cooking, serving, and sharing meals, fellowship, and the Word with thousands every second Saturday. If you tried to count the meals Mary Pat prepared over a lifetime, you would land somewhere north of 4,000, and that is a conservative estimate. She was, at her core, a servant, someone who fed both body and soul.

She was an encourager, a teacher, a partner, and a loyal friend. She saw people clearly, loved them deeply, and lifted them up consistently. She was, and remains, irreplaceable.

Aside from her husband of 49 years, Don, her children, her step-children, and her grandchildren, Mary Pat is survived by her nine loving siblings, Peter S. Kullen, Elaine (Andy) Yacko, Emily (Kerry Green) Kullen, Celia (Ted) Grinnell, Paul Kullen, Andy (Geri) Kullen, Joan (Don) Hohman, Cathy (John) Hogan, and Jim (Donna) Kullen, as well as an impressive and ever-growing family of nieces and nephews, 57, give or take a few.

We, her family, her friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing her, are better for having shared this life with her. We feel the weight of her absence deeply, but we also trust in the joy of her eternal reward. She has earned her place at the feet of Jesus.

Mary Pat, you are so loved. You will be so missed. And if heaven has beaches, we are pretty sure you have already found the sunniest one.

Rest in peace. 

Funeral Service Saturday, April 18, at 11:30 AM in the CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS where friends may call FRIDAY 5-7 PM.  Interment Chestnut Grove Cemetery.