Patricia “Pat” Hammerlee Warshauer (middle row, far right) enjoyed a 15-year Broadway stage career.

WEST MAUI – Patricia “Pat” Hammerlee Warshauer passed away on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015 in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Warshauer was born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Nov. 9, 1929 to her parents, Luella and William Hammerlee. She spent part of her youth growing up in South Carolina before beginning her career as a ballet dancer.

Moving to New York City at the age of 15, she was the youngest member of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. She moved from ballet to Broadway by the invitation of Choreographer Jerome Robbins.

She was what was known at the time as a “Triple Threat” – a masterful dancer, singer and comedian.

Her Broadway stage career spanned 15 years, and she appeared in major roles in a dozen shows and numerous television productions. She was honored to be nominated for the Tony Award and to have shared the stage with a virtual “who’s who” in the entertainment industry.

Warshauer

She retired from the stage in 1960 upon learning that she was expecting her first child. Warshauer moved to California with her husband, where she raised her family and opened the Academy of Arts and Athletics, serving as its director and principal teacher for 15 years.

The winds of change brought her and her two children to Maui in 1977, where she settled in Lahaina and discovered her love for the import business. She traveled the Pacific islands and the Far East collecting antiques, artifacts and handicrafts for South Seas Trading Post in Lahaina, where she was employed for over 25 years.

Warshauer had an entrepreneurial spirit and created her own jewelry design and textile companies, Awakenings/Night Visions, in which she partnered with her daughter, Katrina.

Warshauer loved her family, both immediate and hanai. According to her family, “She loved dance, Carnegie Hall and Broadway. She loved the ‘Russian Tea Room’ and ‘The Lion King.’ She loved teaching. She loved Hawaii, Maui and her many friends. She loved to read. She loved kindness and forgiveness and living life to the fullest.

“She loved to paint. She loved South Seas Trading Post. She loved ‘Architectural Digest.’ She loved to travel the world. She loved a good belly laugh. She loved a five-course meal and could cook one, too. She loved snorkeling with her granddaughter, Sequoya Iolani, at Baby Beach. She loved dark chocolate truffles, Carmel Miranda at Avalon, key lime pie and martinis with three olives. She loved to talk story and loved a good debate. She loved red cardinals, temple birds, elephants and her garden cats. She loved Tuesdays. She loved the West Maui Mountains and sunsets and Nagasakos Supermarket. She loved watching football. She loved orchids. She loved the Macy’s and Rose Parades, Ross on Senior Days and the music of Willie K. She loved and she lived aloha.”

Warshauer was predeceased by her parents, Luella and William Hammerlee; her son, William Bronner Warshauer; and her ex-husband, Bernard “Bud” Warshauer. She is survived by her daughter, Katrina Warshauer Merritt, and her husband, James; her granddaughter, Sequoya Iolani Merritt; stepdaughter Wendy Warshauer; niece Laura Waushauer; nephew Steven Warshauer; hanai daughters Dyan Demidio and Nancy Emerson; hanai son Prakash McKay; and an extended hanai family

Her friends are invited to attend a Sunset Celebration of her life on Sunday, March 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 2022 Naalae Road in Lower Kula. Light pupus and refreshments will be served. Bring your favorite sunset drink.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Pat Warshauer’s honor to World Vision (Protect Children in Crisis Fund, www.worldvision.org/our-impact/child-protection), or Lahaina Public Library, 680 Wharf St., Lahaina, HI 96761.