Patricia Shepherd-Barnes was born and raised in Oakland, California where she attended the Sisters of the Holy Names grade and high schools. Immediately following high school she moved to Seattle, attended Seattle University and received her B.A. in Sociology in 1966. She married a college friend, Mike Shepherd, immediately after college and had three children. Mike died in 1990, and in 1992 she married another college friend, Jim Barnes, who had gone to Seattle University with her and her first husband. Jim passed away in October 2007. All three of her children, Kevin, Kelly and Shannon, and three grandchildren reside in the Seattle area.

Since June, 2000 she has been the President of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Northwest Chapter. She has worked in non-profits her entire career including 2 years at Catholic Community Services, 10 years with the Arthritis Foundation, and more recently, 14 years with the Sisters of Providence where she held the positions of Executive Director of The Hope Heart Institute and President of Providence Seattle Medical Center Foundation .