On the bus

I remember sitting across from Pat on the bus from the Metrolink station to the CSUCI campus for OLLI classes. She was always excited about attending classes and spoke fondly of all the OLLI classes she had taken.

Pat was born Patricia J. McLean on May 20^th, 1929 in Saginaw, Michigan and grew up there, later moving to Oregon.

Pat was a seeker. She loved stimulating conversations, especially political. Although she lived alone, she enjoyed and got satisfaction from “debating the television”; she would switch channels, to either reinforce her beliefs or try to convince those of the “wrong” persuasion of some facts.

Pat was a “Red Bag” OLLI student. She loved taking classes and said many times that her affections, developed over her many OLLI years, transverses a wide array of students and instructors.

In her lifelong seeking mission, she arrived at a very peaceful and pragmatic philosophy. She was at peace in her spiritual beliefs, embracing her inner-spiritual self.  She loved attending the Dharma group at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Newbury Park; she found solace and peace throughout her short illness in those beliefs and practices.

She was also a seeker of adventure: She traveled extensively from college through the 80’s. She went to exotic places during the 70’s, Tahiti and the Pacific Islands; in Europe she camped the back roads, wonderful stories of farmer fields and wild, primeval parks; she traveled later with Elderhostel. 

Pat’s only unfilled dream was to visit with the Cheetahs of Africa…..so she did the second best and spent a weekend at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in a visiting village, and enjoyed the night cries and calls of the lions and tigers and all the permanent residents of the park.

She lived in her Camarillo home for more than 30 years, but early in her career as an Occupational Therapist she moved from Michigan to Texas before finally settling in California where she was with Simi Valley Hospital for 15 years. She later worked throughout Ventura County county with Head Start and Home Health Care service.

Pat worked out religiously at LA Workout, where her friends would find her keeping pace with those considerably younger that herself.

Her continued love of animals led her to volunteering at the Wildlife Center in Malibu where she could be seen interacting with the her “critters and birds” for many years. Pat was also a strong supporter of the Animal Shelter in Camarillo taking into her home a few “McLean” pets over the years. 

Following a brief period of illness, Pat McLean died on Thursday, June 13, 2013. In accordance with her wishes, she was cremated, her ashes returned to Michigan, and there was no memorial service.