Mother, teacher, artist, volunteer

Barbara Jean Patch (born Hopkins) died March 8 at the age of 94, following a lengthy battle with congestive heart failure.

She was born in 1931, the youngest of eight children and daughter of a carpenter in the small industrial town of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh; her mother helped to support the family as a baker.

In 1952 she married her high school sweetheart, William L. Patch, shortly before his ordination as a Presbyterian minister. She graduated in 1953 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, majoring in home economics with a minor in art, and then had a son, Bill Jr.  For some years Barbara devoted herself to the role of mother and pastor’s wife. After the family moved to Southern California in 1964 and her husband left the ministry, the family welcomed a second son, Jonathan Hopkins Patch, in 1966.  She then finished the college work needed for California certification as a kindergarten teacher and taught for more than 20 years in Rowland Heights.  She and her family moved to Claremont in 1974. When her husband became disabled by multiple sclerosis she retired somewhat early to serve as his primary caregiver.

Her early retirement years were marked by artistic pursuits. She took up the medium of stained glass, creating framed pieces for display in windows, and created numerous centerpieces, yard signs, Father Christmas figures, miniature Christmas trees, etc., which she sold at craft fairs and consignment shops. Garage sales were the primary source of her raw materials, so this occupation afforded her the opportunity to continue her longstanding tradition of Saturday morning garage sale shopping long after her family’s demand for second hand items had dried up.

Two years after her husband died in 2003, she moved into Mount San Antonio Gardens, where her life blossomed as she gained her first experience of a carefree existence. She joined many committees and served for years as the chief flower arranger (and fresh flower procurer) for the public spaces in the complex. She also chaired the chaplain’s support committee and volunteered for office work and other tasks at Claremont Presbyterian Church, where her ashes will be interred in the Memorial Garden beside those of her husband.

She supported many charitable causes but was truly passionate about her service to Philanthropic Educational Organization. In later years her greatest pleasure was to organize the jewelry section at the Economy Shop in downtown Claremont (on First Street just east of Indian Hill Boulevard).

She is survived by her two sons and her daughter-in-law, Ingrid Sinclair-Day. “Her sons remember her as the most supportive of mothers, who always sought to nurture the life of the mind,” her family shared.

A memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, May 15 at Claremont Presbyterian Church, 1111 N. Mountain Ave., Claremont, CA 91711, followed by a reception and brunch in the Fellowship Hall.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations of money to Claremont Presbyterian Church at claremontpres.org/giving-2, or to the Economy Shop at econclaremont.com/donate.