Pattie became interested in theatre work at the age of 8, when her parents participated in productions in the Illinois Little Theatre. Majoring in Nursing, she studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee. After two years she went to work with United Airlines. Deciding acting was what she wanted to do, Pattie enrolled at Elizabeth Holloway School of the Theatre in San Francisco. This was followed by appearances in a number of plays in the Bay Area and the Casa Manana Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas. Additionally, she appeared in the TV series, I Spy. Pattie was also a TV newscaster.