She passed away at the age of 59 at Kaiser Anaheim Medical Center due to complications from COVID-19. Patricia, aka Pat or Dede, was born on September 12th, 1960 at St Francis Hospital in Lynwood, CA to Ray and Irene Rubio. Although she was second born of five children, she was always thought of as the baby of the family due to her petite size. Her nickname Dede was given to her by her older brother Ray, who couldn’t pronounce “baby,” and the name stuck her entire life. She graduated from Monte Vista High School in 1978 and attended two years at Whittier College before marrying her first husband and giving birth to her two children, Jennifer and Ryan. She was the first in the family to go to college, first to get married, and first to have children. Pat worked for almost 20 years in aerospace as a technical writer for Northrop Grumman, and most recently worked as a senior operations analyst for the Auto Club of Southern California. She married her second husband Corey in 2001 and her family grew to include her two stepsons, Robert and Blake. Pat and Corey were happily married for the last 19 years and were planning on retiring together and moving to Nevada.
Aside from her family, Pat loved her dogs, camping, sports, live music, and being mischievous. As a child her family went camping several times a year traveling all over, and finally spending the majority of trips together camping at Carpinteria, CA, where the tradition continued with new generations of children and grandchildren. For the last several years Pat and her husband loved camping at McGee Greek and taking trips to the desert, where Pat couldn’t wait to go fishing, ride quads, and relax in nature with her close friends and her dogs. She loved hockey and was an avid fan of the Anaheim Ducks, going to several games with her husband. They took many trips to Primm, Nevada to go to casinos and see live music. Her siblings have fond memories of her playing little tricks on them, including claiming to her youngest sister Julie that she invented “Woodsy the Owl.” A mantra she lived by was John Lennon’s quote: “life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Pat had so many plans in the making, so much life still to live, so much to look forward to, but she never once took a present moment for granted. She lived a life full of love, full of laughter, full of memories. She put everyone else’s needs before her own and doing so fulfilled her.
Pat was known for her kindness, her compassion, her silly sense of humor, and most of all her big infectious smile. Her warmth impacted so many people in ways that her family are still continuing to learn. She is preceded by her father Ray, and is survived by her mother Irene, husband Corey, children Jennifer, Ryan, Robert, and Blake, siblings Ray, Julie, Teri, and Sally, and her many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Her life was cut too short, but her spirit remains strong and continues to comfort the people she loved. We hear her voice in the sweet morning aria of birdsong. We see her smile in the divine brushstrokes of a brilliant sunset. We feel her big hug when a soft warm breeze gently brushes our skin. She will be missed for life, and with us for eternity.
There will be a small viewing for her family on Friday, August 7th at Westminster Memorial Park from 5-8pm, and the family plans to organize a Celebration of Life service at a later date. Her family has asked for donations to be made to the American Diabetes Association in lieu of flowers.
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