Patricia "PJ" Mead Barton

Pat was the third of four daughters born in seven years to Dorothy Shideler Mead and Charles William Mead. Awaiting the building of a home delayed due to war shortages in 1945, the family took a “vacation” from Glenview, Illinois to Sarasota, Florida and never went back.

The Meads invested in several area hotels, beginning with the Sarasota Terrace Hotel (near the local government center at Main St. and US 301), where the family lived before eventually moving to the northeast end of Siesta Key and operating Gulf Mead Inn there until 1956.

Her mother, Dottie Mead, was a well-known local radio host (“Date with Dottie”), and her father, Chuck Mead, owned and operated several hotels and businesses in the growing community (the Elbow Room, among others).

Pat attended Out of Door school through 6th grade and graduated from Sarasota High School where she served as President of the Student Body and met the love of her life, Bill Barton. She then attended Florida State University, joining the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority.

In 1959, she married William L. Barton, and the two continued their studies at Auburn University. With Bill’s graduation, they returned to Sarasota, where Bill was employed as an engineer with Smally, Welford, and Nalven, consulting engineers, and Pat worked in personnel at Electro-Mechanical Research.

With their son Bret and daughter Tracy, the family relocated to Naples, Florida in 1965, becoming active members in a community that counted itself among the fastest growing in the country. Son Berne joined the family, born at Naples Community Hospital in 1969.

Pat began her dedication to her community with the Collier County YMCA, where she served as the founding Secretary of their Board of Directors and was a principal in the initial acquisition of the YMCA property. From there, she became involved with the David Lawrence Center for Mental Health, holding various positions on the Board between 1979 and 2003. In 1984, Pat first became a Deacon and then an Elder at First Presbyterian Church of Naples.

She also served as the founding President of PACE Center for Girls in Immokalee, enriching the lives of young women. Pat was the driving force in the acquisition of the property and the construction of the PACE Center school, a one-of-a-kind building that continues to serve girls in need. She remained actively involved in the success of the organization throughout her life. To date, over 3000 women in our community have found safety and support as a result of their involvement with PACE.

She was active in Republican politics, serving five years as President of the Florida Federation of Republican Women and several years as an officer on the National Federation of Republican Women. In 1988, she had the honor of serving as a Presidential Elector for the State of Florida and a Delegate at the Republican National Convention.

In the 1980s, with her husband, Bill, they worked to develop the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth (now National Family Partnership), supported by First Lady Nancy Reagan. She served on the national board for eight years before continuing this work on the board of the Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education and as a member of Drug Free Collier.

In recognition of her monumental impact to her community and her country, Pat was the recipient of many awards, including PACE State’s “Invest in the Future” Award (2007) and “Pioneer Award” (2010), Youth Haven’s Francis Pew Hayes “Child Advocate of the Year” Award (2007), the National Federation of Republican Women’s National “Caring for America” Award (1986), the Naples Daily News’ “Citizen of the Year” Award (1985), the Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education “National Service Award” (1980), and, alongside her husband, the Presidential “Volunteer Action Award” presented by Ronald Reagan (1984).

Patricia is survived by her husband William Barton, their sons, Bret and Berne, their daughter Tracy, and their daughter-in-law Audra. Bill and Pat have been blessed with eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, to whom she will always be known as “PJ.”

A celebration of life will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Naples on April 17, 2025, at one o’clock in the afternoon. Refreshments to follow in Spencer Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation in her memory to PACE Center for Girls in Immokalee, a 501c3, in support of the newly established Pat Barton Scholarship Fund, which will send young women to college and continue Pat’s legacy of community.

Donations may be made online by visiting https://www.pacecenter.org/PatBartonFund in her memory.

Donations may also be made to First Presbyterian Church of Naples. Please visit https://www.fpcnaples.org/give and indicate Pat Barton in the memo line.