Evelyn Patricia Gebs

Born October 31, 1917 in London, England, adopted and raised by James R. Egan and Alice E. Egan, Pat was, as The Fresno Bee once called her in a profile for her centennial birthday, the “Queen of Halloween.”

In 1938, Pat married Fred Willis. They had one daughter, Anna Marie Willis, born May 25, 1940. Mr. Willis was in the Royal Air Force and was tragically killed serving his country during WWII. Five years later, Pat married Lewis Gebs, a Sargent in the U.S. Army Air Corps. They had one child, Paul Raymond Gebs, born November 4, 1948. In 1946, Pat and her family moved to the U.S. initially settling in Southern California. She was preceded in death by Mr. Gebs in 1997.

After moving to the U.S., a career woman at heart, Pat worked as a department manager for Sears until she retired at the age of 72. In 1989, she moved to Fresno, CA to start another phase of her life.

As those who knew her were well aware, Pat was an outgoing and active member of many communities. She was an officer of the Opera League, the Newcomers Club, the Philharmonic Auxiliary, and a docent at the Fresno Met. She also kept active by singing in her church choir, playing Trivial Pursuit and Bunco, going to the movies, hosting tea parties, and attending lectures at CSUF. An independent and adventurous woman, Pat especially loved travelling. Along with visiting just about all 50 states, she took trips to China, Greece, Yugoslavia, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, and of course England.

Pat Gebs is survived by her daughter, Anna Willis, grandsons Michael and John Ford, her son, Paul Gebs, his wife Barbara Shannon, and her step-granddaughters, Christina and Sarah Chavez.

Per her final wishes, arrangements have been made for Pat’s ashes to be scattered at sea by the Neptune Society.

Memorial donations can be made to either the Fresno Philharmonic https://fresnophil.org/ways-to-give/ or to the Fresno Opera League.