Obituary of Patricia Fink

Patricia Mae Fink (Pat) was born March 28, 1934 in Santa Cruz, California to Jasper and Alice Crow. She died on March 21, 2011, after a courageous two year battle with cancer. Her parents separated before she was a year old and she moved to Medford, Oregon with her mother and older sister Betty. Pat graduated from Medford High School in 1951 and attended Southern Oregon College and University of Oregon before moving to San Francisco in 1953. She worked as a legal secretary there, until she married her husband Ray in 1956. They moved briefly to Southern California, then returned to Oregon where Ray received his B.S. in architecture and he and Pat became parents to four children. The family moved back to Southern California and located in Camarillo, where Pat went to work on the Pacific Missile Range and Point Mugu for Bendix Radio. When that operation folded, she was one of two women who set up the Public Defender's office in Ventura County. She then moved north in 1969, settling in Boulder Creek, where they lived for 30 years, moving to Watsonville in 1998. Pat worked briefly for the County Board of Supervisors, then for the Superior Court and retired from there in 1986. She then remained self-employed, editing court and deposition transcripts. Her greatest joy in life was being involved in her family and their activities. Pat believed in giving back to her community. For a time, she transcribed stories of Holocaust survivors for the Holocaust Oral History Project in San Francisco. She served on the County Fire Commission from its inception until 2003, when she was appointed to the Civil Service Commission. She also became active as a board member for the Retired Public Employees Association, the Santa Cruz Salvation Army Corps and Jacobs Heart. Pat was an avid reader, cross-word puzzle extraordinaire, involved in the local and San Francisco Symphony, and her passion was traveling. She and her husband, and oftentimes her sister Betty traveled extensively in Eastern and Western Europe, Canada, Alaska, Africa, New Zealand and Costa Rica, making many friends along the way. Pat is survived by her husband of 54 years, Ray, her children, Kevin, Cory and her husband Bill Starrs, Collin and his wife Renee, and Kirsten and her husband Greg Dahl. She also leaves behind her sister Betty Peabody and nephew Todd Conant, along with her grandchildren, Alicia Hensley, Britney Hensley, Christopher Fink, Caitlin McBride, Taylor Dahl, Ross Dahl and Jacqueline Gross, as well as two great-grandsons. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat's name to the Santa Cruz Salvation Army Corps at 721 Laurel Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, or Jacobs Heart at 2007 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville, CA 95076. Please join us for a memorial service to celebrate Pat's life on Sunday, March 27th at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel, 1050 Cayuga St, Santa Cruz, CA beginning at 4:00 pm. Please visit www.pacificgardenschapel.com to light a candle or express your condolences to Pat's family.