Our beloved friend, Patricia (“Patty”) Elizabeth Wilcox, was born on May 16, 1944, to Robert Wilson and Kathleen (“Kay”) Paige McGlenn in Cleveland, Ohio where their family lived until moving to Bay Village, Ohio (a Cleveland suburb). Patty attended grade school and junior high school in Bay Park. In 1958, when Patty’s father died suddenly of a massive heart attack, and in 1959 Kay moved Patty and her younger brother Robert “Bob” to the Clairemont community in San Diego, California, where Kay married Walter James.
In San Diego, Patty attended Clairmont High School and went on to obtain a teaching degree from San Diego State College (later San Diego State University – SDSU). Upon graduating in 1967, Patty began her teaching career as a first grade teacher at Sequoia Elementary and later at Walker Elementary, part of the San Diego Unified School District.
Patty purchased her home in the Bay Park area of San Diego in 1970, where she continued to live out her life. She needed to have her own home to enjoy her Pomeranian puppies that were an essential part of her life until 2019.
In 1982, Patty sought to expand her social life and attended the Single Squares beginners classes taught by caller Kenn Reid. It was at Single Squares that Patty met her late husband Walter David Wilcox. On November 12, 1983, Patty and Walt were married. Patty and Walt continued to dance with the Single Squares, joined the UC Saws Square Dance Club in Clairemont and became active in the Square Dance Association of San Deigo County where they served as Chairmen of the Ambassador Program and were Co-Chairs of the 1988 and 1989 Fiesta de la Cuadrilla Square Dance festivals held in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Patty and Walt served as Co-Chairmen of the California State Square Dance Convention held in San Diego’s Community Concourse Convention facility in April of 1992.
In 1989 Patty retired after teaching first grade for 23 years to care for Walt while he underwent dialysis treatment. On July 30, 1992, Walt passed away at the age of 66 from complications of a heart procedure and kidney failure.
Patty’s circle of friends encouraged her to continue Square Dancing. It was at the UC Saws Square Dance Club that she began dancing with Jim Maczko who became her dance partner and more. For more than 31 years, Patty and Jim danced together and became even more active in the greater Square Dance world.
In 1993, Patty joined Jim as part of the United Square Dancers of America’s Executive Committee (the world’s largest Square Dance organization). Patty became an essential part of this National Dancer organization serving as the Assistant to the USDA President during the Annual meetings held each year during the National Square Dance Convention® and working “behind the scenes” to support USDA programs and activities.
Continuing to be involved in the greater Square Dance movement, Patty and Jim were in attendance during the initial gathering of Square Dance leaders from the Western US in Portland, Oregon in June 1994, to discuss creating the USAWest Square Dance Conventions® for dancers in the Western US wishing to experience “A Quality International Square Dance Experience in the Western United States For Dancers from all Around the World.” The first of these Conventions was held in Denver in 1997. Patty and Jim would be among the five Co-Chairs of the Second USAWest Square Dance Convention® held in San Francisco’s Moscone Center in July 1998. Later Patty and Jim would be Assistant Chairmen of the 2018 (Reno) and 2022 (San Diego) USAWest Square Dance Conventions.
Patty became an integral part of the California State Square Dance Conventions serving as Advance Registration Chairmen for each of these State Conventions – 1997 (Fresno), 2004 (Sacramento), 2008 (Sacramento), 2010 (Fresno), 2012 (Visalia), 2016 (Fresno), 2017 (Victorville), 2019 (Imperial), 2020 (Hanford – canceled due to COVID), 2023 (Sacramento) and the upcoming 2024 State Convention (Santa Maria). Patty and Jim also served as Co-Chairman of the 2011 State Convention held in San Diego. Patty, especially following her heart attack in 2011, could always be seen receiving State Convention registration at the various festivals throughout California and other significant dances.
As the leaders of the Square Dance Community sough collaboration to seek a path forward to grow the activity, in 2002, Patty joined Jim in the creation of the Alliance of Round, Traditional and Square-Dance (ARTS-Dance) – an assembling of eleven of the National Square Dance Organizations into one cohesive / cooperative group. Patty supported Jim as the first elected Chairman of ARTS from 2004 – 2006. In recognition of their service, Patty and Jim were among an exceedingly small group of non-callers to receive the prestigious CALLERLAB Chairman’s award from then Chairman Tim Crawford in 2006. Patty continued to work with ARTS-Dance as their Showcase of Ideas Chairman setting up the ARTS Showcase display each year at the National Square Dance Convention® from 2003 through 2019.
In April 2004 Patty talked Jim into trying to become part of the California Heritage Dancers Exhibition Group. While a little reluctant, Jim, recognizing all of the areas in which Patty has supported him in the Square Dance world, agreed that he could support Patty in this one area. Needless to say, Jim became as enthusiastic as Patty to be part of this group of dedicated dancers seeking to preserve the heritage of the Square Dance Activity.
On June 15, 2011, just one day before Patty and Jim were scheduled to depart for the National Square Dance Convention® in Detroit, as they were leaving for their weekly practice with the California Heritage Dancers exhibition group, Patty suffered a massive heart attack. Jim was able to administer CPR until the San Diego Fire Department EMT’s arrived about 9 minutes later when she was taken to UCSD’s Emergency Room in Hillcrest. Then on September 1, 2011, Patty had open heart surgery to repair the mitral valve in her heart. This procedure was successful and allowed Patty to live a full life.
Patty remained active in the local, regional, and state Square Dance communities, serving as Secretary of the California Heritage Dancers, supporting Jim in his role of Parliamentarian of the San Diego Square Dance Association, and working on the annual Fiesta de la Cuadrilla Square Dance Festivals. In addition, Patty worked behind the scenes in countless ways, supporting the California Council of Square Dancers, where in May of 2023, Patty and Jim were elected to a two year term as President of this statewide dancer organization – where her passing will be deeply felt.
Patty’s love of Square Dancing took Patty to thirty-two of the National Square Dance Conventions®. Patty was working with Jim in the role of Vice Chairman Organizations for 73rd National Square Dance Convention® being held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in June 2024
In Patty’s personal life, she became “Gram Patty” to Jim’s grandchildren – Maegan (23), Lindsey (20), Courtney (17) and Garrett (a proud teenager of 13). In this role she would never forget a birthday and always had goodies to entertain these youngsters as they grew up enjoying fine dinning as part of the family Christmas Celebrations in Colorado Springs, Colorado – an event Patty looked forward to every year.
It was during this visit in 2023, that Patty became weak and needed medical attention which began on Saturday December 16, 2023, at the Emergency Room in Colorado Springs. Patty was Life Flighted via helicopter to St Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, Colorado near Denver. It was at St Anthony’s that the Doctors initially worked to stabilize Patty’s blood pressure, which had been too low. They performed multiple tests including a catheterization of Patty’s heart through her groin, an Echo Cardiogram, an Esophageal Electrocardiogram, and an Ultrasound through Patty’s neck. They also inserted an arterial balloon into Patty’s chest and monitored oxygen levels which were also low.
The Cardiological team who reviewed Patty’s medical records listing her conditions upon arrival at the Hospital were pleasantly surprised at how well Patty looked and her positive spirits.
On Tuesday morning December 19th the Cardiology team at St. Anthonys determined that Patty needed to have a plug inserted into her mitral valve arthroscopically up through her groin. Since Patty’s heart attack and bypass surgery in June / Sept 2011, her heart valve has been leaking and in 2021 Patty reluctantly meet with Dr. Madani at UCSD who performed the original repair of Patty’s heart and he felt that while surgery to install a plug might be beneficial, he ultimately determined that Patty was not yet in need of additional surgery at that time.
At St. Anthony’s they stabilized her condition which included the insertion of a heart balloon to assist the heart’s pumping capabilities. After a week – December 22, 2023, Patty was arthroscopically operated on to insert a large plug on her mitral valve to seal the leak. This procedure was considered successful, but the heart balloon pump continued to assist the heart. Then it was determined that the heart balloon had ruptured, which required emergency surgery to be removed. Following this procedure Patty’s response was she “felt wonderful.”
It seemed as though progress was being made, but over the next couple of days it was determined that Patty’s heart was not pumping sufficient blood to the kidneys and Patty was placed on a continuous dialysis machine. Patty was also receiving IV drugs to stimulate her heart. The dialysis machine and the heart drugs were what was keeping Patty alive.
Finally late on Wednesday evening, December 27th these issues were clearly explained to Patty. She simply did not wish to remain on these systems with no prospect of ever leaving the hospital. It was Patty’s decision to have the artificial support systems removed and she drifted off to sleep early on Thursday morning December 28, 2023.
Patty had won over the entire staff at St. Anthony's Hospital, everyone loved caring for Patty, and they were all as devastated as we are with Patty's passing.
This is a tremendous loss not only for me and my family, but for everyone who ever came into contact with Patty from her first grade students that she taught for 23 years, to the hundreds of Square Dancers who have encountered Patty's vivacious smile and her charm and enthusiasm for the entire Square Dance community.
Having walked side by side for over 31 years this is a very painful goodbye - we were equal partners and more on the dance floor and in all of the many endeavors we undertook together.
Goodbye My Love!
Patty was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Wilson McGlenn and Kathleen (“Kay”) Paige McGlenn James, husband Walter David Wilcox, and stepson Walter Dale Wilcox.
Patty is survived by her dance partner and more Jim Maczko (San Diego), Patty’s brother Dr. Rober McGlenn and his family, wife Diana Adrignola McGlenn, niece Jennifer McGlenn Corrington (San Diego) and her husband Lt. Col James Corrington, nephew Matthew McGlenn (San Diego), his wife Blair and their children Piper, Chandler and Corbin, nephew Dr. Michael McGlenn and his wife Dr. Kimberly Schulz-McGlenn, step daughter Jill Maczko Comer (Colorado Springs) and her family husband Don Comer, Granddaughters Maegan, Lindsey, Courtney and Grandson Garrett, stepdaughter Linda Wilcox Pence her husband Paul Pence, their children Charles Pence and David Pence, stepdaughter Cherie Wilcox Gibson and her son James Foote and daughter Kyra Foote and stepdaughter Marian Wilcox and her son Kristopher Semon.
In lieu of flowers – it is requested that donations be made to the Alliance of Round, Traditional and Square-Dance, Inc – a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization – www.ARTS-Dance.org
Jim Maczko
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