Former Albuquerque Journal writer Patricia Kailer, 100, dies

Patricia Kailer is remembered for "the way she could put a story together" and her ability to connect with people during her decades with the Albuquerque Journal. 

The former features writer died on Nov. 10 from complications of Parkinson's disease. She was 100.

"She was the consummate reporter," former Journal reporter Rick Nathanson said. "She always had a disarming personality and she could talk to people (and) get them to open up and just tell her the story of their lives."

Kailer began her Journal career as the "Miss Action Line" columnist before moving on to write stories ranging from a feature on Afghanistan refugees to a profile on Barbara Bush when Bush's husband, George H.W. Bush, was vice president.

"I'd have people tell me, 'I'll read anything with her name on it,'" former Journal editor Susan Stiger said. "Even if it's a little dumb announcement. She would manage to put some charm in there."

Kailer was born on July 5, 1925, in New England, North Dakota.

She attended the University of North Dakota before transferring to the University of Missouri where she met her future husband — former Journal sports editor J.D. Kailer — and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism. The couple moved to Roswell and worked for the Roswell Morning Dispatch before relocating to Albuquerque, where she got involved with the Albuquerque Little Theatre and raised three children, according to an online obituary. 

Kailer said she saw parenthood as a "calling," said Ann Eversole, Kailer's daughter.

"Not everyone does, but she did," she said. "She played with us and taught us, wanting (us) to make sure we spoke well and we didn't swear because she said it reflected poor vocabulary."

In 1965, according to the obituary, Kailer joined the Journal as the original "Miss Action Line," a question and answer column that addressed concerns like cockroaches roaming the house.

"It's a safety valve for some people," Kailer said about the column in the Aug. 15, 1968, issue of the Journal. "Even when they know there's no answer, they just have to get it off their chest."

After six years, according to the obituary, she became a features writer, covering subjects ranging from turtlenecks — "Once the no. 1 gift for grandpa, dad, and junior, the turtleneck is beginning to choke on its own popularity," she wrote in an April 20, 1969, story — to Afghan refugee families living in Albuquerque, winning multiple New Mexico Press Association awards along the way.

Kailer also profiled celebrities and political figures. She described Barbara Bush as "a handsome, healthy-looking woman with luxuriant white hair and a calm, open manner, who seems to enjoy her tangential position just out of the spotlight's circle," in the July 18, 1984, Journal.

"I always kind of envied the way that she could put the story together," Nathanson said. "She was really, really good. She asked germane questions and she worked quickly and she was just a delight to be around." 

When Kailer wasn't writing, former Journal reporter Liz Otero said Kailer edited some of her "Around Town" columns.

"I would sit next to her and she never make me feel bad, even when the paragraph needed serious work," Otero said. "Instead, she'd just smile and say, 'I'm just really glad I found the little something.'... The thing about Pat is that one of her greatest gifts was the way she made others feel good about themselves."

Kailer retired in 1990, but she wasn't gone from the Journal for long. Eversole said Stiger "pulled her back in" to write restaurant reviews.

"We needed somebody with humor and a lightness," Stiger said. "And she was a terrific cook. She was always trying new recipes and she knew what everything cost at the store."

One of the places Kailer wrote about was Wild Oats Market, which she said in the Nov. 25, 1993, Journal had a range of food so wide "'you'll have to allow extra salivating time to decide."

Outside the newsroom, Kailer enjoyed traveling, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle and was a Bible study fellowship group leader at Hope Church.

"The group leader has to really be on their toes and has to really know the passages thoroughly and anticipate questions," Eversole said. "And she was good."

In 2017, after Kailer was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, she joined Rock Steady Boxing, a program dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with the illness through boxing and other activities.

Each time Kailer walked in, her first question was, "Are we going to do the (punching) mitt?" said Patrick Strosnider, Rock Steady Boxing Albuquerque chapter founder and coach.

"She was the true definition of a fighter," he said.

Kailer's memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. Jan. 17, 2026, at Hope Church. 4710 Juan Tabo NE.