Carpe Diem - seize the day; enjoy the present, as opposed to placing all hope in the future. This sentiment was a constant in Pat’s life. She believed that life is fleeting and she led with her heart. Although her health was declining over the last several years, her passing, at age 67, on December 3, 2019 was sudden and unexpected.
Pat was born on September 17, 1952 in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to Pat and Barbara Franklin. She left New Mexico to join the U.S. Navy as a Radioman - stationed at Pearl Harbor as the Vietnam War was ending (1975-1979). On August 30th, 1975, she and Jon Stanford married in San Diego, and were married for 23 years. In Lubbock and Dallas, Texas, they raised a daughter, Kristin. Meanwhile, Pat received her Horticulture degree from Texas Tech University in the mid 1980s, helped her brother with a golf product startup and worked in various landscaping consultation roles. Lakeway, Texas became her home in 2000.
Pat loved to connect with people and to use her horticulture, singing and other skills in her philanthropic work. Throughout her life, she poured a tremendous amount of personal time and energy into helping people. Just one example; a time when she landscaped, all by herself, the entire property of a dentist’s office in order to raise the donation of desperately-needed dental surgery and dentures for a gentleman she knew. While in Lubbock, Dallas, and Lakeway, she raised funds for and cared for a number of elderly and disabled people in her community, oftentimes for years at a time. She volunteered at Lake Travis Crisis Ministries and other organizations in Lakeway, as well as ministry work to teach English in a Ukrainian orphanage.
Pat had a passion for singing, especially jazz and gospel music, as she was a believer in Christ. She loved being on stage, performing theater. Recreational billiards was also a fun pastime for her. Pat loved the ocean and scuba diving, and being outdoors. Throughout her life, her home and yard were filled with many beautiful plants - it gave her great joy to spend time caring for them. Pat enjoyed the company of her adopted animals over the years. She was proud of and delighted in telling stories about raising her daughter. She was known for her clowning, raw and goofy sense of humor, her smile - full belly laugh, and her compassion for others.
Pat was preceded in death by her father. She is survived by her mother, daughter, her 3 siblings: Machelle, Terry, and Beverly. A private celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 20th, 2019. In lieu of flowers, please donate a tribute to Austin Pets Alive. https://www.austinpetsalive.org/donate
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