Patricia J. Cane

Patricia Jeanne Cane Nov. 24, 1925 - Mar. 14, 2012 Patricia Cane, a San Francisco native and longtime resident of Greenbrae, died March 14, 2012. She joins in heaven her husband Paul W. Cane, who preceded her in death in 2005 after 56 years of marriage. Pat graduated from San Francisco College for Women (later renamed Lone Mountain College), where she made lifelong friends. She worked as an elementary school teacher until it came time to raise her own children beginning in the 1950s. She enjoyed fine food and world travel, and was accomplished in the arts of calligraphy and needlepoint. Her family and friends always will treasure the works she prepared for them. Pat took pride in her charity work, most notably her work fundraising for Branson School. She ran the school's thrift shop, selling donated clothes to raise money for the school. Until Alzheimer's disease overcame her late in life, Pat prided herself on fitness. She walked for miles, proudly tracking her mileage on a pedometer. Though not a skier herself, she mastered a cross-country ski exercise apparatus and generated many more miles on that. Pat at first tolerated, and then joined enthusiastically, her husband's avocation: thoroughbred horse racing. The two bred and raced horses for more than 25 years. Pat is survived by her four children, Steven, Paul Jr. (and his wife Ann, and their children Paul III and Katherine), Susan, and Lawrence (and his wife Tammy, and their children Madeline and Garrett). Even in the grip of Alzheimer's, instinct took over with her young grandchildren. She never forgot how to hold a baby, rock it, and feed it. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Sebastian's Catholic Church, 373 Bon Air Road, Greenbrae. So that others will be spared the curse of Alzheimer's, instead of flowers please consider remembering and honoring Pat by helping the Alzheimer's Association , 225 North Michigan Avenue, 17th floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601, or alz.org.