Patricia Jean "Totsy" Portz

Patricia Jean Portz lovingly called Totsy by family, a member of the Greatest Generation, passed away at home in the presence of family Sunday March 15,2026. Patricia was born in the small farming town of Linton, North Dakota December 10,1928 where she graduated from high school and earned money for nursing school by working as a clerk in the County Auditor's office. After graduating from St. Alexius (now St Mary's College) School of Nursing, in Bismarck North Dakota, she was employed as Head Nurse at St Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California. In March 1955 she was commissioned by the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps where she was stationed at Naval Hospitals in Virginia, Guam, Japan, Oakland and Lemoore California, and Key West Florida. In January 1965 she was transferred to the University of Colorado in Boulder where she received her B.S. Degree in Nursing. From there she was stationed in San Diego, Japan, Lemoore, and served her final tour of duty as Director of Nursing at Camp Pendleton California. From there she retired August 1979 while living in her Vista, California home with her beloved mother after 24 years of military service having achieved the rank of Navy Captain. For the past eight years she has lived in Roseville California with her niece Susan Franklin and her husband Steve. Patricia loved to travel to countries close to where stationed and upon retirement taking trips to Europe, the Panama Canal, Mexico especially Cabo San Lucas, and driving across the U.S. visiting camping sites in her Winnebago Motor home. Family and friends were always welcomed and invited to go along for the ride. She belonged to the Ramona Winnies and the Navy Nurse Corps Association. She loved playing games sometimes with lively conversations. She especially loved Skip-Bo, Horseshoes, Cornhole and in the Navy she won many trophies for her bowling skills. She loved listening to all types of music and attending concerts and musicals. Patricia was an amazing and loving daughter, sister, aunt, friend and nursing leader. She was kind, generous, helpful, fun, saw and brought out the best in others, and did all she could do to make life pleasant for anyone she knew. She was so respected with not a negative bone in her body. Patricia is preceded in death by her beloved parents John and Martha (Riedlinger) Portz, sisters Elizabeth Staudinger and Martha Shea, and brother Edward Portz. She is survived by many nieces and nephews and their children who loved her dearly. She will be buried at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Navy Nurse Corps Association(nnca.org.) or Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center(deloro.org)