Pat Loder

Pat Loder is the executive director of The Compassionate Friends, a self-help support organization for families following the death of a child. She joined The Compassionate Friends in 1991 shortly after the car accident that claimed the lives of her 8-year-old daughter, Stephanie, and 5-year-old son, Stephen. At the time of her children’s deaths, Pat was also dealing with the recent death of her brother Rick, who died from cancer. Pat found that The Compassionate Friends helped her immeasurably in dealing with her grief. She and her husband, Wayne, founded the Lakes Area Chapter of The Compassionate Friends in Commerce Township, Michigan in 1993, where they were also newsletter editors.

In 1995 Pat and Wayne became editors of the national TCF publications We Need Not Walk Alone and STAGES, which they combined into a magazine in 1998. Pat has also served as editor of Friends, Caring & Sharing The Compassionate Friends in-house newsletter for chapter leadership. Pat was development director for The Compassionate Friends prior to being named as executive director in 2000.