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Remembering Patricia Stevenson
Gates, Patricia Jane Stevenson of Costa Mesa passed away Thursday January 8, 2004 at home after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer. She was 55 years old. Patty will be remembered as a devoted mother, teacher and principal. Patricia is survived by her daughters Laurie Kenner Gates and Kerrie Jane Gates, her sisters Janet Watt and Dacoma Stevenson and by her ex-husband Peter Tipton Gates.

A celebration of Patty's life will be held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach on Friday January 16th at 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or to the College Scholarship Fund for Laurie and Kerrie Gates.

Published in the Los Angeles Times on 1/14/2004
Patty was such a sunny part of my childhood from the primary grades on, being one of the core of girls in our little Brownie and Girl Scout Troop through Commodore Sloat and Aptos, and lived in the neighborhood. Our moms were both scout leaders. And, of course, she was well known and loved at Lowell. I always will remember her for bringing cheer to others, long before and far beyond her days as a Lowell song girl. I'm sure she touched many young lives so wonderfully as a teacher in Southern California and will be missed terribly by so many.

Margie (Brown) Whitnah
Patty was a dear friend since seventh grade and for the thirty plus years that followed. I will miss her dearly. Patty loved all of her friends and especially relished the Lowell years. She especially enjoyed the reunions and reliving her great memory high school. Despite the trials she faced, Patty always was optimistic and never ever complained. She was always interested in you and your life and was so proud of her daughters, Laurie and Kerrie. The only remorse she ever expressed was the possibility she would not see her girls graduate from high school and she almost made it. Laurie was a freshman at UCSB and Kerrie a senior in high school when she passed away and she prepared them well for life. I will always remember her smile, her laughter, hugs, and miss the birthday cards she never failed to send every year.

Ed Portnoy
She was indeed a bright spirit. I also went to Aptos and Lowell and knew her as a person that always had a smile. Too many of our friends are leaving us way too soon. If we all work towards and pray for the goal of finding a cure for cancer, it will happen someday. I just wish it could be sooner rather than later.

Vicki Lee (Porter) Wittrock
I think we all remember her bubbly personality and positive outlook. She had such energy and enthusiasm for everthing. It's always such a shock when something like this hits our friends and peers.

I concur with Vicki's thought that we all work and pray for a cure for cancer. It really does touch everyone in some way. In that vein, since I work with the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, might I suggest you take a moment to contact the Cancer Center in your area and check to see if they need volunteers or financial support. I bet they'll appreciate the call and you can offer up your "donation" (be it time or money) in Patty's memory.

Elizabeth (Liz) Thompson (now Elizabeth Mastrantonio)
I knew her at Lowell. What a tiny, little "Dina-Mo!" My image of her is the bouncy song girl hanging around Jenny Green (who I remember with green hair).

Carolyn Duncan (Longshore)
I just opened a box of photo albums and the first one I opened, I turned one page, and wouldn't you know it? The most cheerful face in the Brownie Troop photo, undoubtedly, was Patty Stevenson's. What a vivacious dynamo -- her memory, goodness and spirit will always glow.

Margie (Brown) Whitnah

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Although I only knew Patty at Lowell, she epitomized the spirit of high school. She was always so bubbly. When I think of high school, she comes to mind. It sure is sad to see so many names of our classmates who have passed on too soon.

Rosalind Winters Tolson
Rev. 3/1/2006