Patricia McCoy

PATRICIA (PATSY) MARTIN McCOY Passed away on September 17, 2011 in Mesa, Arizona. Patsy was born April 25, 1926, at Riverside Community Hospital, the youngest child of Fred and Helen Hamblin. With her older sisters, Mary Lou and Betty Anna, she grew up in Riverside, attending local public schools, and Riverside City College. She attended Stanford University and graduated from UC Berkeley. Prior to college graduation, she married Pat Martin. They lived in Berkeley while Pat finished law school, and Patsy taught school until their first child was born. After law school, they returned to Riverside, where Pat practiced law, they had 4 more children and Patsy was a stay at home mom. Patsy was active in Riverside Junior League, National Charity League with her daughters, was a choir member and served as an elder at Calvary Presbyterian Church. During Pat's two year congressional term, Patsy was president of the 88th Congressional Wives Club in Washington, D.C., and remained active in local politics. After Pat's untimely death in 1968, Patsy returned to teaching, obtaining a Master's degree in Special Education, and transitioning from elementary teacher at Grant School to Special Education teacher at Sierra Junior High, to principal of Grant School, and finishing her educational career as an assistant to Superintendant Ray Berry. After retirement, she served as the director of the Riverside County Bar Association, and was also elected as a trustee of the Riverside Community College Board. In 1990, Patsy married John McCoy, a fellow church member and a retired member of the Riverside legal community. Patsy and John lived in both Riverside and Long Beach, and moved to Prescott, AZ in 2003, where they were members of Trinity Presbyterian Church. Patsy will be remembered not only for her iron will, limitless energy, love of music and singing but also as being vivacious, caring and involved. She loved water, whether it was hosing down her driveway on Beechwood Place or frolicking in the waves of any beach she could visit. Throughout her life, Patsy remained connected to her hometown of Riverside, and to all her wonderful friends there. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. She is survived by her husband, John McCoy; sisters, Mary Lou Cassell and Betty Anna Dunn; children, Lisa (Bucky), Amy (Michael), Tom (Candy), Helen (Seth) and Kurt (Marcia) Martin; stepdaughters, Debbie McCoy and Lori Eckenweiler and nine grandchildren. Please join us at a memorial service celebrating Patsy's life on November 5, 2011 at 2 PM at Calvary Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the REEF Foundation of the Riverside Unified School District, 3380 14th St., Riverside, CA 92501 or to Literary Women: The Long Beach Festival of Authors, P.O. Box 3014, Long Beach, CA 90803 in Patsy's memory.