Patrick Douglas Ertel

Beaufort

Patrick D. Ertel passed away at the age of 67 on Sunday, March 15th, in his recently adopted hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina, after suffering a massive heart attack.

The youngest son of Louis G. Ertel and Edith (Marks) Ertel, Patrick was born on October 21st, 1947, and was raised in Muncie, Indiana. He graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame (1970) and earned his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University (1973). He practiced intellectual property law for 42 years in Chicago, the past 16 of those years with Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, where he served as a Managing Partner.

Patrick was respected as a generous mentor, whether it was by colleagues at work or by youth on the soccer field. He held a commitment to education and not only actively pursued his own ongoing learning, but also proudly supported anyone whom he might be able to help do the same. He saw athletics as a tool to positively impact the lives of young people—especially his three daughters, as well as many of their teammates—and was a dedicated youth soccer coach who retired his whistle with a winning record.

Patrick died doing something he loved: running. He ran three days per week during most weeks, and although it had been decades since he completed the Chicago Marathon, he may have been in the best shape of his life. If there was any other activity that Patrick might have chosen as his last, it surely would have been captaining his boat, Pearl of the South, across the waterways of the Lowcountry with his wife and dog by his side.

His greatest passion, handed down to him by his own late father, was for the University of Notre Dame. The values of Our Lady’s university—integrity, accountability, teamwork, leadership in both mission and excellence—were those that Patrick lived by in his own life and encouraged others to do the same. In honoring his contributions in this life, he would ask that you try your best to do the same.

Patrick is survived by his wife Nancy (née Royer) Ertel; his three daughters, Mallory Baches (Demetri), Bailey Green (Wilson), and Morgan Ertel; his granddaughters, Iris Baches, as well as a baby arriving in August; his brother, Michael Ertel; and his beloved dog Duffy.

A celebration of Patrick’s life will occur at his final resting place, on the University of Notre Dame’s campus, during the weekend of October 17th, 2015, so that family and friends from across the country may share his greatest joys in his honor: good beer, great stories, the Golden Dome, and, if luck will have it, an Irish victory. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Patrick’s name to the University of Notre Dame, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame IN 46556 (http://supporting.nd.edu).

Low Country Cremation Services and Burial is serving the Ertel family.