Held active roles for Democrats, Big Bend Community College

EPHRATA - A former Big Bend Community College foundation board and trustee member died Friday in a car accident five miles south of Ephrata.

Patricia Schrom, 84, of Royal City, was driving to a Grant County Board of Equalization meeting in Ephrata about 9:40 a.m. when the accident happened, said her son, Bob Schrom of Royal City.

It appears she drifted off Dodson Road and hit a guardrail resulting in the car tipping up on its edge, he said. The car, a 1998 Buick Electra, slide into the bottom of a dry canal. No other cars were involved in the accident.

She was found dead at the scene, said Grant County Chief Deputy John Turley. He verified it appeared as if her car veered off the road.

It wasn't known if she was wearing a seatbelt, he said. The roads were bare and dry

Her autopsy was expected to be completed Monday, said Lynette Henson, with the Grant County Coroner's Office.

The autopsy is being done to determine if Schrom died before the accident or as a result of it, Turley said. She had a history of diabetes.

Bob Schrom said it's suspected his mother experienced a medical problem before the accident.

Schrom helped form Grant County Fire Districts 9,10 and 11, and served on the Grant County Board of Equalization. She held offices for fire districts 10 and 11. She was also in charge of the Grant County Democrats for a number of years, Bob Schrom said.

She served on Big Bend's board of trustees from 1992 to 2003 and the college's foundation board from 2003 to 2006.

After her service on the board of trustees, she was named trustee emeritus by the college, said Catherine Holestine, Big Bend's public information officer.

Schrom was also a member of the Othello-based Leah Lane Foundation, which helps nursing students pay for college textbooks.

"She was very passionate about our students and meeting their needs," Holestine said.

Doug Sly, executive director of the college's foundation, said Schrom "was a mentor for a lot of people."

"She was a wonderful supportive lady that saw the best in everybody and every situation," he said. "She had a life of community service in this area."

She is survived by three sons, Bob Schrom and Alan Schrom, both of Royal City and Michael Schrom of Othello.

A rosary will be prayed at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18, at St. Michael's Church in Royal City. Her funeral is set for 11 a.m., Feb. 19, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, Moses Lake.