By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
Special to Hays Post
A couple of Rush County women who had known each other for more than 60 years back in 2014 found themselves spending even more time together than usual after their husbands died within a month of each other.
Now, 11 years later, Pat Petz and her mother, Mary Steitz, are almost inseparable.
Pat, a retired elementary school teacher, is the owner of Pat’s Magnetic Jewelry. Mary is a retired nurse aide who also cleaned medical offices until she was 90 years old.
Finding themselves living alone after their husbands passed away, Pat asked her mom to start accompanying her to craft shows to sell her wares.
Mary thought it sounded like a great way to get out and about. Ten years later, she says she plans to keep going even if she does have to slow down a little as she nears her 94th birthday in April.
Pat knows that time will come for her, too. Just not yet.
"I know that one of these days I'll have to scale back because my cases and tables are getting so heavy for me to load and unload," Pat said. "But for now, I plan to keep showing up at the craft shows. I love making the jewelry, and I love helping my customers discover a way to help with their pain and not have to use medicines to do it."
Several weekends a year, Pat jumps in her 2012 Toyota Sienna, loaded with 10 to 12 suitcases of jewelry, and makes the 25-mile trip to La Crosse from her farm 8 miles north of McCracken.
She picks up Mary at her La Crosse home, and together, they travel to towns as close as Hays and as far away as Marion to the east and Liberal in far southwest Kansas.
“Coming and going, she helps me stay awake,” Pat said. “Sometimes, I’ll even say, ‘Mom, sing to me, sing loud.’ ”
“I don’t have a singing voice,” Mary said. “But I sing.”
All along the way, mother and daughter enjoy their time together – as well as with other customers and vendors.
That includes the two hours it takes to set up their booth at each venue and the 1.5-hour takedown time.
“Meeting people, visiting with them, that’s so enjoyable,” Pat said. “And building relationships with other vendors is special.”
Pat first became interested in the benefits of wearing magnets back in 2010. After experiencing frequent headaches for several years, Pat received a magnetic necklace for her birthday from her daughter, Angie.
“I put in on, and the next morning, I woke up without a headache,” said Pat, who became an instant believer. “I used to take 16 to 18 Advil a day. Now, I might take two or three Advil a month.”
Magnet therapy has been used for centuries to help with pain. Currently, people all over the world are being treated with magnets for health issues such as migraines, arthritis, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, fibromyalgia and much more.
Pat soon began selling magnetic jewelry and later started making the jewelry herself. Now, she sets up at shows with more than 100 necklaces and hundreds of wrist and ankle bracelets. She also offers magnetic rings and shoe inserts.
She often finds herself making and/or adjusting items on the spot at the show because “everyone seems to want the one that’s not on the table.”
Pat takes it all in stride and enjoys seeing how she can help others dealing with pain.
“Seeing previous customers coming back to get updated jewelry because they swear by it is always heartwarming,” Pat said. “ If a new customer asks a question and (a previous customer) answers, 90 percent of the time, they do the selling for me. That is so fun to see their reaction.”
Her customers range in all ages, and she sometimes relies on her mom to help make a sale.
“If I’m talking with an elderly person, I can tell them something, but if Mom starts talking to them, they listen to her,” Pat said with a laugh.
Mary rides along to most of the indoor shows. The outdoor ones that she attends depend on the weather.
Even during the off-season for craft shows, mother and daughter still see each other frequently.
Pat, who retired in 2015 after teaching in the La Crosse School District 395 for 38 years, still returns to La Crosse classrooms three to five times a week as a substitute teacher.
“As long as I’m needed and doing a good job, I’ll keep subbing, too,” she said.
After school each day, Pat stops by to visit Mary to say Hi and see if she needs anything.
On days that Pat doesn’t make it to La Crosse, the two talk on the phone.
“Bless her heart,” Mary said. “She’s my angel.”