Patricia Y Hoyt

Patricia Young Hoyt passed away peacefully on June 19th, 2021. Pat was born in Washington, DC on May 20, 1931. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington and received her AA degree from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. In 1953 she married fellow Woodrow Wilson alumni Brooks Hoyt. They settled for a short time in Tampa and then moved to Gainesville where Brooks was a professor of law at the University of Florida. During that time he accepted a year-long fellowship at Columbia University and Pat developed a lifelong love of New York City and travel.

When Brooks took a position with MacFarlane, Ferguson Allison & Kelly they returned to Tampa where she lived for the rest of her life. Pat was a devoted mother to her daughters Kathy and Nicki. She was an active volunteer during her child rearing years, serving as President of the Tampa Junior Women’s Club and as a board member for the Children’s Home Association.

After a 25-year hiatus, Pat re-entered the workforce to run the campaign headquarters for Bob Martinez’ successful 1979 mayoral bid. Pat was initially hired to be the Mayor’s Office receptionist. After recognizing that her skills were underutilized, Mayor Martinez named her as the City of Tampa’s first Film Commissioner. A pioneer in that business sector, she established what became the City of Tampa Office of Motion Picture and Television Development. The Tampa-Hillsborough Visitor and Convention Bureau took over that office and Pat served as its director. During her tenure at the City and the Bureau Pat was instrumental in bringing to the region countless good jobs via not only made-for-TV movies but also major theatrical films, including Cop and A Half and Edward Scissorhands. Pat also enabled the production of scores of commercials and industrial films. She spent numerous hours recruiting, scouting locations and representing Tampa Bay and the State of Florida at critical national film and entertainment gatherings, often underwriting the costs for those initiatives herself. Pat served on the board of directors for Women in Film, Florida Film Commissioners Association, Florida Motion Picture & Television Association and Alpha – A New Beginning. In addition, she served on the board of the Hillsborough County Arts Council and as president of Tampa Preservation, Inc.

Pat and Brooks fulfilled a longtime dream to have a beach residence when they purchased and renovated a house in Englewood Beach on Manasota Key. They spent most weekends at their beloved Slipshod Manor with family and friends, eating elaborate meals and enjoying the Gulf and the sunsets. When they weren’t at the beach they traveled extensively both in the country and abroad, and looked forward to annual trips to the Super Bowl with a group of Tampa friends.

After 51 years of marriage Brooks passed away and Pat remained busy with friends and family until the onset of Alzheimer's Disease, from which she suffered for the past ten years. The family is forever grateful to her longtime caregivers Anita Cooney, Barbara Mendez, Vicky Benitez and Gladys Cabra. We would also like to thank the wonderful staff at Brighton Gardens Memory Care Center where she lived for the past eight months, as well as the caring and compassionate staff at Melech Hospice House where she passed away.

Pat was predeceased by her parents, Josephine and Henry Young, as well as her husband Brooks. She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law Kathy and Jeff Hindman of Tampa and Nicki and Mike Green of Savannah, Georgia; sisters Sue Phillips of St. Augustine, Florida and Joann Schilling of Gaithersburg, Maryland; and four grandchildren, Matthew Hindman, Patrick O’Connell, Claire O’Connell and Briana O’Connell. She also leaves behind longtime dear friend Kathy Betancourt. Pat loved her family, traveling, entertaining, shopping, Broadway musicals and cookbooks. She was an out-going and charismatic person who lived life to the fullest while she was able.

A Celebration of Life will be held Monday, June 28th from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Avenue. Reflections on Pat’s life will begin at 5:30 pm with visiting and refreshments to follow. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made in Pat’s name to Metropolitan Ministries or Lifepath Hospice of Tampa.