Patricia Cloud Duttweiler

Pat was born at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, in 1931 to US Army Air Corps Major (later, Air Force Colonel, retired) Howard Haines Cloud, Sr., and Pearl Rhodes Cloud. Pat moved with her family to Washington D. C., Panama, Louisville, KY, The Presidio of San Francisco, Hickham AFB in Hawaii, Orlando, FL, and San Antonio, TX. While living in Hawaii, Pat learned to hula; whenever she was asked about Hawaii, her eyes would light up and she would do a little hula, even after being confined to a wheelchair.

Pat was an Air Force brat and, at first, was an Air Force wife. When she was pregnant with her first child, she came home in early December of 1952 to San Antonio to await Mike's birth. Her then husband, 2nd Lieutenant Artice Lee Laird, was part of Operation Sleigh Ride bringing Airmen from Korea back to the States during the Korean War. He boarded a C124 transport plane at Larson Air Force Base near Moses Lake, Washington, heading to Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio. The plane crashed just after takeoff, taking the lives of 87 of the 115 on board. It was at that time the deadliest airplane crash in US territory. Son Michael was born a month later in January 1953. Pat was a Gold Star wife at just 21 years of age.

Several months after Michael’s birth, Pat’s mom encouraged her to get out of the house and sent her up to the Officers Club at Fort Sam Houston for an Army Daughters' cocktail party.

As the story goes, a group of young men and women were sitting around a table and David, a Medical Service Corps lieutenant, was 'waxing eloquent' and 'pontificating'. Pat evidently said 'well aren't you smart'; he took it as a compliment and asked her to dance.

He took her home to her parents’ place just outside Funston Gate and she said 'here are my parents and here is my baby".

They married that July and were married for 68 years until David’s passing in 2021. As a typical Army family, their four additional sons were born at various duty stations. Son William was born in 1954 in Saltzburg Austria where David was assigned to the Army of the Occupation. Son Jonathan was born in 1956 in Landstuhl, Germany, where David was assigned. In 1959 son James and in 1961, son Peter (aka Patrick Mackellan) were born in Aberdeen, Maryland. After several years at Walter Reed Medical Center, the family moved to San Antonio while David served a year in Vietnam (1967) and David retired from the Army in 1969 while stationed at Fort Sam Houston, TX.

While pursuing her Doctorate in Education degree she taught at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Georgia, for the same four years that son Jim and two years that son Patrick were students there.

After she received her doctorate, David retired as the Director of the Environmental Protection Agency lab in Athens and Pat and David moved to Austin, Texas. There she was with the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL).

Later her career took her to the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University where she served until she retired in 2005.

Pat loved going to the beach and arranged many family beach vacations in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Texas. She and David were involved in various Methodist churches where Pat taught Sunday school and invited the grandkids to VBS.

Pat and David moved to the Army Residence Community in 2005 specifically choosing a continuing care residential community (CCRC). They started out in a lovely cottage on the grounds later moving to an apartment in independent living on the 12th floor of the high rise where they enjoyed countless Texas sunsets. Pat had a lifelong love of horses, pottery and swimming. She continued to enjoy swimming and pottery after moving to the ARC and her family shares cups, bowls and plates that she created. Pat was a frequent participant in water aerobics and was active in Kiwanis.

After David passed in 2021, Pat moved to assisted living on the Lakeside Campus, and to Memory Care in February of 2023.

Pat’s education included Punahou High School in Hawaii and Orlando High School where she lettered in Basketball, Volleyball and Swimming. She attended Florida State University, Texas State Teachers' College, the University of Maryland and the University of Georgia where she received Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctor of Education degrees. She was a member of the honorary fraternity Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Mu Women’s Fraternity.

In addition to her husband, David, Pat was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Air Force COL (Ret) Howard Cloud, Jr., brother Air Force 1lT Lewis Cloud who was killed in the European Theater in WWII and sister Dorthy Cloud Chapman.

She is survived by all five of her sons and several daughters-in-law; 13 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren with a 15th due in October.

Her ashes will be interred with David's later this year at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.