Patricia Cratty "Pat" Taylor

Patricia "Pat" Cratty Taylor

October 15, 2025

MADISON, Wis. / CALABASAS, Calif. – Patricia "Pat" Cratty Taylor passed away peacefully on October 15, 2025, in Madison, Wis. She was 85 years old. A native of Los Angeles, Pat was born in 1940 and never lost her love for California. She grew up with her two brothers in the San Fernando Valley when it was mostly orange orchards. She graduated from Van Nuys High School.

In 1960, while earning an elementary teaching degree at UCLA, she married Raymond John "Jack" Taylor, a neighborhood boy her brothers had unsuccessfully tried to scare off. Pat took a break from teaching elementary school upon the birth of her daughters, Gail Patricia and Christine "Chris" Lyn. There was nothing more heavenly to her children then arriving home from school to Pat's freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

As the girls grew up, Pat returned to teaching, first at Soto Street Elementary in East Los Angeles, and then at Cantara Elementary in Reseda, Calif. She excelled in the classroom and impacted countless young lives. Her influence transcended the classroom, and she spent many years as an active member of her teachers' union, UTLA. Pat was also a voracious reader. Her children recall regular excursions with their mother to the local library, and the speed with which she would read books.

Pat was a devoted daughter and sister. She spoke with her mother daily and cared for her throughout her life. But Pat's proudest achievement was her children, in whom she took endless delight and pride. She spent many years coaching her daughters on the softball field and shuttling them to Girl Scout camps and sleep overs.

Once their "nest" was empty, Pat and Jack built their dream house in the hills of Calabasas, Calif., and spent their retirement exploring the world. They loved to "cruise" down famous rivers, including the Nile, Danube, and the inlets of Alaska.

In retirement, Pat continued her life-long involvement in the Methodist church, Church Women United and Valley University Women.

After Jack's passing in 2017, Pat ventured from her Calabasas home to the Capitol Lakes senior living community in Madison, Wis., to be closer to daughter Chris and her family. The Capitol Lakes community welcomed her. She made many friends and was an active participant in the vibrant community there. Pat also enjoyed the many activities of her two grandsons, spending more time than perhaps she had planned in hockey arenas and at soccer fields.

Pat is survived by her daughters, Gail and Chris (James Feldman); and grandsons, Benjamin Cole and Samuel Robinson. She was preceded in death by her mother, Edith Robinson Cratty Hooper; father, Walter Bryant Cratty; brothers, James Robinson Cratty and Bryant Jackson Cratty; and husband, Jack.

Pat's family is profoundly grateful to the Capitol Lakes community, and the loving and dedicated staff who cared for her.

A celebration of life and reception will be held at CAPITOL LAKES, 333 W. Main St., Madison, from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. For more information and online condolences, please visit www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson East

Funeral & Cremation Care

5203 Monona Drive

(608) 221-5420