Patricia Ridgers

Patricia Fay Ridgers Born March 17, 1932, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, died May 13, 2024, in Coquitlam, BC.

Born on Saint Patrick’s Day, much to the delight of her Irish father and the consternation of her mother, when the birth certificate registration, she had entrusted to her husband’s care, arrived with Pat’s middle name misspelled.

Pat was predeceased by her parents, Wib and Marie, brother, Craig, husband, Art, son, Craig and many other close relatives and friends.

Survived by her daughters, Kathleen (Edward) and Barbara her grandchildren, Travis, Brittany, Scott, Michael and Isha and their father John, great grandchildren, Autumn, Micah, Benjamin, many nieces, nephews their families, her Ecuadorian Family and other relatives, as well as many friends from around the world.

Raised in Saskatoon and Vancouver, BC, Pat attended UBC, where she met her husband, Art and graduated with a degree in Home Economics. They married on July 29, 1954, residing for a short time in Vancouver, BC then lived most of their working lives in Southern California. Pat obtained a master’s degree in nutrition from California State University Long Beach. Pat described Santa Barbara as her spiritual home. even though she and Art decided not to become US citizens (much to the incredulity of their US friends). Upon retiring, Art and Pat fulfilled one of their retirement dreams, spending eight months in England and Europe, then returning to Victoria, BC.

Pat made community wherever she went. She gathered people around her, inviting them into her life and home, sharing both love, joy, laughter and life’s trials, usually around the table with one of her home-cooked meals.

Family was important to her so every year, the family and pets were loaded up in the car and the trek to Canada was made, where the family stayed a month or so at Christina Lake with Art’s parents and another month or so with Pat’s parents and visiting other relatives and friends.

Sunday dinners, at home and the holidays were treasured family times. Many other family trips were taken in a rented motor home, camping and weekend picnics, often including additional tag-alongs.

Pat had a zest for living. She was interested in people, history, culture, theatre, music, literature, opera, education, golf, bridge and food and nutrition, so as she and Art travelled, they often returned with a friendship made, which was nurtured and sustained over the years through visits to each other’s homes and through phone calls and letters. She enjoyed many theatre, opera and musical productions and played the piano and organ almost her entire life. Her life was enriched by the continuing education courses in history she took later in life. She was an avid reader her entire life and in November 2023 even wrote and published a book, The Lemonade Tree. This was another fulfilled dream.

She was an active volunteer, most often through her church. As a life-long church goer, she attended the Presbyterian church in the USA and the United church in Canada, giving of her time, energy and services on church boards, the Gorge View Society board and numerous projects. Many at Pilgrim United Church will remember the annual Christmas Party she hosted for many years. She volunteered at The Priory in Victoria and on the strata board when she lived in her condominium.

When Pat moved to Coquitlam a few years ago one of her favourite past times was her visits from those close to her. Cocktail hour on her patio or in the living room with many discussions about life, places, news, and history kept her mind active and was a highlight of her days. She especially appreciated her weekly visit from her nephew Trevor and their walks in the trees around her home. She also loved how John would drop in various times of the day to see if she needed anything other than a banana for her breakfast.

Pat knew how to turn a negative into a positive. When Art unexpectedly lost his job, they rented out their home for the summer, packed up their three children and pets and headed off for a summer’s long adventure, travelling through the US and Canada. It is probably this trait that many will remember her by, her positivity and ability to make lemonade from life’s lemons.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Camosun Foundation “ Erasing Barriers Fund "

Service will be officiated by The Reverend Keith Howard on Monday, June 17, 2024, at 1 pm at Gordon United Church, 935 Goldstream Ave., Victoria. Reception following at Royal Colwood Golf Club, 629 Goldstream Ave.