Pat Forrer named Hill City Prevailer News Citizen of the Year

It’s been said that she is involved in countless projects, programs and organizations but always works in the background. Now her family and friends agree it is time for her to receive the recognition she deserves.
For her years of dedication to the community, Pat Forrer has been named the Hill City Prevailer News 2024 Citizen of the Year.
Forrer moved to Hill City in the summer of 2009. After retiring as a special education and English teacher, Forrer was trying to decide whether to move near her daughter or her son.
“We basically said we felt this would be a really good match for her,” said Forrer’s daughter, Britt Daiss.
Forrer actually bought the house Britt’s family lived in before building their current home. Initially, Britt was concerned about Forrer losing her support group since she had lived in the same community for around 40 years. However, Britt said, “She has really built up a great support system around her. It’s gotten her involved, keeps her active and keeps her young. I know she really enjoys it.”
Forrer babysat Britt’s children, Leo and Grace Daiss, until they went to school and did some afterschool care as well.
Leo said, “She’d pick us up from school, and we’d go to her house until our parents were off work and whoever was with us. And we’d do various activities whether that be crafts, watching TV or whatever. She was just always the helping hand for whoever needed it.”
Both Leo and Grace said their favorite memory was going to Krull’s Market with their grandma to buy mac and cheese and then going back to her house to watch “Berenstain Bears.” Forrer even wrote a story for her grandchildren about it.
“She wrote a book for my kids because they were obsessed with macaroni and cheese that’s called ‘The Little Macaroni,’ and it was this whole story of this little piece of macaroni that was in a box at Krull’s on a shelf. It goes from these kids coming in and picking up the box, to cooking it and then the kids eating it,” said Britt.
“It’s like the best story ever because it’s like we’re in the story. It’s like inside the box, and it can hear me and Leo talking,” Grace said. “Another good memory is that during the summers, we could make a bucket list, and then we’d go do stuff on it.”
For several years when the children were growing up, Britt traveled to different national parks for her job. Oftentimes, she would take Forrer and the children along, and they would explore the parks while Britt was working.
“They had a lot of adventures with Grandma Pat,” said Forrer.
After moving, Forrer quickly became known as “Grandma Pat” at the Hill City School District too by sharing her passion for reading and literacy.
Superintendent Blake Gardner said, “She read to the students, mentored teachers, offered perspective and provided warmth to our school. For over a decade, she was a fixture in our schools to the point that a parent once asked me what grade she taught. She was a trusted adult to so many of our kids who lovingly called her Grandma Pat.”
Britt said, “There’s probably 10 years worth of kids who know her as Grandma Pat from her work in the school.”
Primarily, Forrer volunteered in the elementary school.
Kindergarten teacher Donna VanNess said, “Grandma Pat has been a positive presence for inspiring reading in a lot of our kids that have gone through the school system, especially prior to the pandemic. She started out volunteering to read with our elementary kids, especially the lower elementary. She would come to the classroom and take small reading groups and read with them and just help out in whatever capacity she could.”
Forrer also helped with the annual science fair through greeting or running registration and volunteered at the annual Dr. Seuss Carnival and Literacy Night.
“She would come into all the classrooms, and she would do a Dr. Seuss trivia game with the kids. She had questions that she would ask the kids about different books, and the kids had to guess what character it was or what book it was from or some aspect of Dr. Seuss trivia, and the kids loved it,” said VanNess. “She’s been a wonderful asset to our school district and to our community with all of the projects and events that she’s been involved in.”
For a time, Forrer kept the school statistic books for boys and girls basketball and volleyball as well.
“She did that when I went to school,” said Britt. “So when she came here, she offered that service and took up that role as well for a while.”
Leo said, “Whoever needed help, she would be there to help.”
Meanwhile, at Hill City High School, Forrer has worked with the counselors as the main contact for the Hill City Evergreen Garden Club scholarship program. Through this, Forrer picked a theme, formed a committee, organized applications at the school, judged entries and presented awards to high school seniors.
Guidance counselor Chris Stoebner said it was a really easy process and interactions with Forrer are “awesome.” He called Forrer a friendly person and said her interactions with the students usually come with a handshake or a hug.
“She’s an adult role model in the community for the kids,” Stoebner said, “And it allows kids to know that that’s how you make a positive impact in the community.”
In May, Gardner presented Forrer with a plaque for her service to the school that was created by students in the woodworking class.
“The Hill City School District is blessed to have Grandma Pat in our community and want to thank her for her years of volunteering,” said Gardner.
Along with her work on the scholarship committee, Forrer plays an active role in the garden club. President Sherry Liddell said Forrer gets her hands in everything and is a team player who often supports whatever the majority recommends. She always has good feedback and is willing to voice her opinions, but Forrer is usually working behind the scenes.
For their annual Christmas wreath project, Forrer does all of the calling to make sure the wreaths get picked up.
“She’s a great representative of how people at any age, especially retired people, can be a benefit for the community,” said Liddell.
Forrer is also a longtime member and former officer of the Hill City Friends of the Library.
Bonnie Guerre said, “She spends multiple hours preparing for the Friends Book Sales by sorting and organizing the children’s books by age groups, topics and activities. Pat also organizes the young adult books and posts signs in the library garage to label book areas by subject matter. In addition to creating posters to advertise the book sales and other events, Pat walks throughout Hill City to distribute the posters at various locations.”
Forrer is well known for her poster deliveries as she does it for the garden club and the senior citizens as well. According to Leo, “She puts up posters for anything and everything that she can. I know she goes on her walk and puts posters everywhere that she goes.”
For the Hill City Senior Citizens, president Dale Householder said, “We have a pretty well-oiled organization, but it still takes somebody to squeeze the oil out, and that’s Pat. It’s wherever it needs a little shot of oil, and that’s where you’ll find Pat. She just greases the wheel and keeps things going. It’s amazing the time she puts in. She’s involved in so many organizations.”
When the seniors were without a director for 18 to 20 months, Householder said Forrer kept the newsletter going and was his constant reminder of what needed to be done. If Householder did not have the expertise, Forrer stepped in and did it.
“She was and is our media specialist so to speak. She was responsible for all of the PSAs with the radio stations, TV stations. A lot of times, she’ll even design some of the brochures,” said Forrer. “If we want to get the word out, Pat does it. She does it through social media. She’s just a voice for communication for the senior center.”
Householder said if Forrer is downtown, she is always promoting the senior center. Grace agreed that everyone in town knows Forrer.
“She’ll start a conversation with anybody,” said Grace. “She’ll talk about anything with everybody.”
Forrer is a fixture at most of the senior events as well.
“She’s a member of our newly-started scholarship committee. We have a new volunteer committee that Pat’s on. Pat has been instrumental through the years of being the person that does the veteran’s Christmas baskets for the seniors. She heads the whole thing up. She comes down here and spends countless hours of cataloguing the gift items that come in and assigns a value to them and makes sure that they get to where they’ve got to go. Wow, it’s amazing what she does there,” said Householder.
However, Householder said, “First and foremost, she’s dedicated to her family, especially to her grandkids, Leo and Grace. If there’s an event that they’re in, that takes precedence for Pat, and I admire her for that.”
To this, Leo said, “It’s really important to me.” Forrer travels for his out of town golf tournaments to cheer him on.
Grace agreed and said Forrer has come to all of her dance recitals. There is even a picture of Forrer doing Grace’s makeup before her first recital.
“She even came to Disney and to New York with me,” said Grace. “It’s nice that she cares to come to all of our events. It’s different ‘cause she hasn’t missed one. She’s watched me grow as a dancer over time.”
When the event is over, Householder said Forrer will be right back helping. You never need to ask Forrer for help either. She simply sees a need and fills it. Householder said it is like she has her own behind-the-scenes board.
“If she says she’s going to do something, it will get done. That’s all there is to it. You don’t have to worry about it. You don’t have to ask her a second time,” said Householder. “That’s been a tremendous asset not only to our directors, but to me as president.”
Sue Anderson agreed saying, “She’s just always there, always willing and always wanting to help, wanting to pitch in.”
Forrer is also known widely for her handmade cards.
“I get a personalized card every single year for birthday, Christmas, whatever holiday. There’s always a card from Grandma Pat, and it’s always pretty cool,” said Leo.
Liddell echoed this saying Forrer always remembers birthdays and sends homemade cards through the mail. Liddell said, “It’s her personal thing, and it’s very appreciated. I just think that’s special.”
Colleen Lewis said Forrer makes special cards for the veteran quilts the Heart of the Hills Quilters give out too.
“Pat is a very kind, considerate and thoughtful person that I feel lucky to call friend,” said Lewis.
“She’s very creative,” said Anderson. “She’s got a little room down in her basement that’s like walking into Hobby Lobby as far as cards are. She’s got everything in the world, and she gives little classes too.”
“She is definitely very thoughtful. She puts a lot of care into all the groups that she’s involved with. She’s always willing to take on probably more than she should,” Britt said with a laugh.
When asked what Forrer’s best qualities are, Leo said, “She’s a helper. That’s her biggest one. If she wants to help, she helps. She’s always active not even just in our community, but whatever community we go to. She’s the one that can help us plan when we go on trips and things. When we go with her, she’s always a helping hand.”
To the same question, Grace said, “She’s always there. Like if I need to call her for something, she always answers the phone. She always comes to my dance performances. She really cares about us.”
When asked why he thought Forrer deserved recognition, Leo said, “For everything that she does for our community and everything that she does for us at the school. I’m a senior now, and I still remember some of the times from kindergarten of Grandma Pat coming in and helping the kindergarten kids with anything that we needed to do.”
In regards to everything Forrer does for the community, Leo said, “It’s a lot, but I think it’s important for someone to do it, and it makes it more special that it’s my grandma doing it. I think it’s really important to both her and anyone in the community that has that help from her.”
Grace said, “Since she moved here, she’s done a lot. She used to read to the kindergarteners all the time, and she helps put up posters, she helps at the senior center. I feel like she does a lot for the community.”
“Pat is a very private person. She doesn’t seek any recognition. When recognition comes, you’ll see Pat move to the back of the room. And it’s time. It’s time that Pat receives the recognition that she deserves, and I’m so excited that she’s been chosen for this honor,” said Householder.
“I think she’s a true representation of the Heart of the Hills,” Britt said.