PATRICIA COWLEY

Patricia Beckstead Cowley 1934 ~ 2009 Patty Cowley - loving mother, devoted friend, bright intellect and gentle spirit - died at 75 on August 10, 2009, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease.Born in Denver on August 1, 1934, to Faye Dunster Kimball and Jessie B. Kimball, Patty was later adopted by Faye's second husband, George Lee Beckstead. She attended Tooele High School and earned BA and MA degrees from the University of Utah, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, a national academic honorary society. She was married to Robert N. Jorgensen from 1954 to 1957 and married James Phil Cowley in 1958. Patty's family and many friends cherished her deep kindness and admired her intelligence and physical grace. She read voraciously and wrote with authority as a scholar and author. After working as a reporter and writer in the 1980s, she researched and co-authored a definitive biography of Chief Judge Willis W. Ritter, Thunder Over Zion, published by the University of Utah Press in 2007. A lifelong Democrat, Patty supported many progressive causes. She was also an accomplished pianist, an avid skier and a challenging tennis player. Patty is survived by her former husband and best friend, James Phil Cowley of Salt Lake City; son Geoffrey Cowley, his wife, Susan Pelzer, and their son, Colin Bernard Cowley, all of New York City; daughter Linda Cowley Clark and her three daughters, Kristen, Sasha and Danielle, of Temecula, California; and son Collin G. Cowley, his wife, Sue, and their three children, Erin, Dylan and Keegan, of Salt Lake City. The family expresses special thanks to the many friends who cheered Patty on with their attention and visits during her prolonged illness and to the staff at Brighton Gardens, where she has lived for the past 10 years. Friends are invited to a Memorial Service, including lunch and a visit with Patty's children and grandchildren, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 15, at the Fort Douglas Officer's Club located at 150 South Fort Douglas Boulevard on the University of Utah campus. Signs will be posted directing travel from Mario Capecchi Dr. onto Hempstead Road to Fort Douglas Boulevard. Parking is available just west of the Officer's Club. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the University of Utah General Scholarship Fund, 155 South Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT.