Patrick Kenneth Oregon, of Mapleton, IA died on November 3rd, 2025, at home due to complications from asthma and COPD. He was 62. The family expresses deep gratitude to the Waterbury Funeral Home. A burial service for the family will be held for Pat at St. Mary’s cemetery on Tuesday, November 25th at 11:00 a.m. A celebration of life will be held on December 13th at 5:00 p.m. at the Maintenance Shop on campus at Iowa State University.

Pat was born on July 30th, 1963, in Fort Dodge, IA and adopted by Ruth and Kenneth Oregon of Mapleton, IA. He shared his youth with two siblings: Karen and Phil.

A graduate of Maple Valley’s class of 1981, Pat went on to study Music Education and earn his Bachelor of Music at Iowa State University in 1987. He met Tauria “Tori” Rich of Sioux City, IA, and they married in 1993. Together, they had their daughter, McKenzie “Mic” Oregon, whom they raised jointly after their divorce in 2001.

A teacher at heart, Pat always managed to find himself in jobs that let him utilize his greatest asset: his empathy. He spent time as a nanny, a manager, an HR rep, a marketing temp, a music tutor, an IT professional, and a safety coordinator. Throughout his career, Pat consistently sought roles that would let him work closely with people and foster new relationships. He loved people, and he loved helping people.

There was no subject that Pat didn’t find fascinating. In recent years, his special interests included kite flying, World War I, film special effects, and dog grooming, but in earlier periods of his life, he also had great talent for photography, computer science, gardening, and instrument repair. Pat always knew a little about everything, and there was nothing he couldn’t teach himself.

To know Pat was to know his music. He began playing percussion in junior high, but it was his experience playing vibraphone in his high school jazz band that cemented his lifelong passion. Simply studying music wasn’t enough; he had to dedicate as much time as he could to learning, playing, and listening. Pat played in every campus ensemble he could get his hands on, as well as the ISU Jazz Quintet, the members of which became his lifelong best friends. He also served on the ISU Student Union Board so he could book his favorite musicians at the Maintenance Shop, an underground campus concert venue. Later in his life, Pat enjoyed playing in reunions with the ISU Jazz Quintet every Father’s Day weekend, at occasional church services, and (perhaps most frequently) with his daughter and fellow percussionist.

Pat loved being a father. He was a kind, patient, and involved single parent who treasured his relationship with his daughter. Together they shared a love for music, film, and books, an academic interest in history and politics, and a doomed-from-the-beginning sense of loyalty for the Boston Red Sox. Pat enthusiastically attended all of Mic’s performances, which he refused to videotape out of fear that doing so might take him out of the moment. He immensely enjoyed the time they spent together outdoors, whether that meant gardening, dog training, foraging, or even yard work. In 2022, Pat moved to Ames, IA to be closer to his daughter and to come back to a town he loved. He was a beloved father and Mic’s best friend.

Pat lives on in the memories and hearts of those who knew him, especially his daughter, McKenzie Oregon, and siblings, Karen Trucke (Greg Trucke) and Phil Oregon (Kira Oregon).

Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth Oregon and Ruth (Koenigs) Oregon.