PATRICK QUINN PADILLA

"When I surf, I can only hang nine," Patrick Quinn Padilla often quipped, making light of his big toe fashioned into a thumb, following an accident in 2006 that forced him to trade in yet another appendage, his acoustic guitar, for a slide guitar instead. Having undergone dozens of surgeries, Patrick was covered in scars and scrapes, but he never lost the courage to fight or the will to laugh and dream. "I'm in the great hands of my Creator and the God given skill of my doctors," wrote Patrick after receiving the diagnosis of advanced melanoma and heart failure. He quickly learned to manage his chemotherapy and had enthusiastic plans for his future. Patrick passed peacefully, at home in Fresno, California, on January 22, 2016. He was 55 years old, born on May 11, 1960, in Lindsey, CA, to Bob and Carol Padilla. Patrick's love of sailing was ignited at Huntington Lake, where he'd stand at the end of a dock with this thumb out, hoping to hitch a ride, years before he could even drive. He joined the Coast Guard at 19, and lived adventures from Humbolt Bay to Hawaii and beyond. He's jumped out of helicopters in the Bering Sea and sailed at sunset (with many of us!) under the Golden Gate Bridge. He was the voice of the High Sierra Regatta, the sailing event closest to his heart and the source of countless friends. He loved to sing and pick his guitar. Patrick loved to cook and feed people. It was while using these gifts and working at Hume Lake Christian Camp that he met his future wife, Karen Madden, who became a Padilla in 1985, after marrying in Toledo, OH. Patrick's faith in God's grace was perhaps his strongest trait. In the face of his greatest challenge, Patrick wrote, "I am His child and have put my trust in Him!" Patrick loved to share music, and recently posted: "The chorus of my current favorite song: `Wash me in Angels, Bathe me in light, Awaken new day at the end of this night, My heart remains steadfast, I sing with great might, Wash me in Angels, Bathe me in Light.' I sing and pray this over all of us!" Patrick joins in Heaven his father, Bob Padilla; his grandparents; and the most recent arrival, his aunt, Barbara Foster Pennington. Patrick is survived by his wife Karen; daughter Wendie Sheen and her husband Charlie; daughter, Alyssa Padilla and her fiancé, Cole Shepherd; son Quinn; grandchildren, Charlotte and Nathan; mother, Carol Edwards Padilla Dau and her husband Peter; brother, Michael Padilla and his wife Karen; sister, Erin Stuart and her husband Steve; sister, Megan MacGillivray and her husband David; as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. A Celebration of Patrick's Life will be held at New Hope Community Church, 4620 E Nees Ave, Clovis, CA, on Saturday, February 6, 2016, at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: GarySiniseFoundation.org which uses funds to entertain, care for and inspire our troops. Patrick would have loved that!