Patricia “Pat” Orrock Akehurst passed away on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at the age of 95 with family members at her side. She and her husband, Don Akehurst, moved to the Beatitudes senior campus in Phoenix, AZ in November 2016 from Lubbock, TX where they had resided for over 30 years.
Patricia was born in Treherne, Manitoba, Canada on March 18, 1925 as the youngest of eleven children. Growing up on the family farm, she received her education in a one-room schoolhouse through the 8th grade. With no high school in the rural farming community, Pat left home at age 16 to find a job in a nearby city. By the time she was 21 years old, she had succeeded in realizing her life-long dream of becoming a model. For at least two years of her modeling career, she was one of the most photographed models in western Canada. She also served as the model supervisor.
Patricia moved to the United States in 1963 and became a naturalized citizen in 1969. In the US, she worked in the grocery industry for several years.
Pat was a consummate hostess who delighted in entertaining family and friends. She played golf, bridge and other card games, and enjoyed vacationing on cruise ships. She will be remembered by many for her grace, kindness, fierce loyalty and love of family.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Sydney and Edith Orrock, ten siblings, and her son, Edward Roy Heintz. She is survived by her husband of 42 years, Donald Akehurst, her son Roy (Rhonda) Heintz of Costa Mesa, CA, 3 step-children: Tom (Debi) Akehurst of Sherrills Ford, NC, Kathy (Paul) Reed of Forest Falls, CA, and Judy (Lyle) Cherry of Phoenix, AZ, 7 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Services 3:00 pm., Saturday, March 20th, 2021 at A.. L. Moore-Grimshaw
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