Patrick John Ebertz died unexpectedly in his sleep peacefully at his home in St. Cloud, Minnesota on December 26, 2023 at the age of 59. Pat was born on November 30th, 1964 in Jamestown, ND to Johnny and Glory Ebertz. Raised in Jamestown, Pat was surrounded by the love of a close-knit family, including his twin brother Michael, siblings Beth, Chris, Ann, Peter, and Paul, parents Johnny and Glory, and grandparents Ben and Theresa Miller, as well as many good friends and neighbors It was an idyllic childhood. Pat attended St. John’s Academy from kindergarten through sixth grade, and then attended Jamestown High School, graduating in 1983. An active member of Student Council, Pat’s leadership and charisma was apparent from an early age. So, too, was his love of performing and humoring others. Pat frequently performed magic shows at the local library and enjoyed acting in school plays. He got his first radio job at age 14, working at a local Jamestown radio station KSJM FM under the name “Pat Shocker,” broadcasting his own weekly Top 10 Countdown, and it was obvious that Pat loved having an audience, whether it was family members or peers.
Pat attended the University of North Dakota, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1987. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and began his next chapter in radio while in college at Grand Forks FM radio stations XL93, KLITE and Magic 96.
In 1987, Pat and his brother Michael were the first twins ever to be accepted to the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Pat attended medical school for two years, however, Pat realized his true passion was radio and went on to pursue and achieve a prolific career as an on air radio personality that spanned nearly 3 decades. From the time he was a young boy, Pat always listened to the radio and had a passion to use his voice to entertain and inspire others, not to mention to make people laugh. This love, combined with Pat’s creative genius and charisma, led to incredible opportunities in radio, most notably his co-hosting and producing of morning shows in Grand Forks, ND, Phoenix, AZ at POWER 92, Minneapolis and St. Cloud, MN. In 1993, Pat earned himself a spot on Minneapolis’ KDWB station on the Dave Ryan morning show, where he remained a co-host and producer until 2002. During his career, Pat had many unique opportunities to meet and interview notable musicians, actors, celebrities and politicians. Occasionally Pat would be outrageous for the sake of his fans. A particularly memorable moment was when Pat crossed the railing at Niagara Falls to hold the phone up so that the KDWB listeners could hear the roar of the falls, which caused him to get arrested on air and made the front page of USA Today. His charisma made him the brightest part of the show and his on-air antics brought joy and laughter to countless listeners in many cities all throughout the country.
In 2008, Pat decided to transition to radio marketing and sales, as a result of his desire to spend more time with his family and four children, Isabelle, John, Patrick and Christian. Pat had a very successful career in sales that began at Leighton Broadcasting in St. Cloud, and continued with Disney/KQRS in Minneapolis and most recently with Hubbard Broadcasting in Minneapolis with the Tom Barnard Show. During his sales career, Pat earned numerous sales awards that distinguished him from others. Pat’s genuine love of meeting and making connections with others was the secret of his sales success. He enjoyed and excelled at cultivating relationships with a vast array of clients, who in most cases, ended up becoming like family members to Pat.
Along with juggling the rigors of a fast paced sales career, Pat maintained a connection to radio as a weekly contributor to KNSI “Ox and Friends,” a local political roundtable in St. Cloud that combined Pat’s love of radio and political punditry.
Although Pat enjoyed immense professional success, his true success and best role in life was that of a devoted father. His children Isabelle (22), John (21), Patrick (20) and Christian (18) were the loves of his life and he used every opportunity to share with others how very proud he was of each of them.
A devout Catholic, Pat was a faith-filled man who was actively involved in the St. Cloud Catholic community and a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. He attended mass regularly, and used his emphatic voice to preach the Word of the Lord as an engaging weekly lector at masses.
Pat is predeceased by his grandparents, parents, brother Peter Ebertz, and nephew and Godson Alex Ebertz. In addition to his children, Pat is survived by his siblings Beth (Keith) Herner (Puyallup, WA), Chris (Yvonne) Ebertz (Bismarck, ND), Ann Johnson (St. Michael, MN), Paul (Veronica) Ebertz (Phoenix, AZ), Dr. Michael (Donna) Ebertz (Orono, MN) plus many beautiful nephews and nieces. Pat always made a point to stay connected to each family member and he will be deeply missed.
Pat loved everyone and everyone loved Pat. He has left a priceless legacy of being a loving father, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He passed on the gift of compassion and kindness for others that was infectious to everyone he spoke to on and off the radio. Pat believed there weren’t any strangers in this world – they were just friends he hadn’t gotten to know yet.
A visitation and memorial service will be held on Thursday, January 4th from 3-8 pm at Williams Dingmann Funeral Homes in Sauk Rapids, MN, with a memorial and sharing starting at 6pm. A rosary service along with visitation will be held on January 5th 5-8pm at (Eddy Funeral Home, Jamestown, ND). Funeral and Christian Burial will be held at St. James Basilica (Jamestown, ND) at 10:30 am on Saturday, January 6th.
Eddy Funeral Home.