Pat Holcombe

Pat Holcombe Born in San Francisco on August 4, 1918; passed away peacefully in her sleep on President's Day, Feb. 20, 2006. Patricia Helen Carroll Holcombe attended Notre Dame Grammar and High School. She was editor of the Notre Dame school newspaper, and won several local writing contests, including a recent piece on Neptune Beach in Alameda for which she received an award. She was executive secretary to the president of the Pacific Far East Lines until her marriage to Gordon Bush Holcombe, Sr. in 1950 who preceded her in death in 1982. A resident of Millbrae since 1955, Pat taught swimming to hundreds of children over the years at the Holcombe Swim School in her backyard pool. She was instrumental in starting the Millbrae Otters Swim Club. "Aunt Patty" taught all her nieces and nephews to swim, and many of them, in turn, became swim instructors as did her sons at "Patty's Pool" for the Holcombe Swim School. Her nieces and nephews, sons, other relatives, and family friends all have rich memories of those times at the Holcombe house and pool, which became a warm gathering place for the family to celebrate birthdays, Christmas and other family events for years and years. Pat will be remembered by many as activity director of Sheltering Pines Skilled Nursing Facility in Millbrae. A long-time Giants fan, she looked forward to spring and the start of baseball season. Patricia played the piano and sang to her sons when they were young. She was an avid reader and a talented amateur photographer. Mom was knowledgeable, well-read and well-educated. She was a good writer and an articulate conversationalist; she cared passionately about environmental issues, human rights and global peace. Her politics were from the heart, balanced by critical thought; she was a pure liberal always true to her world view and could, all the way up to her final days, articulate her positions with precision. Through her world view, her many abilities and her talents, she instilled in her children a love of books, music, nature, swimming, peace and quiet, exploration and individual thought and expression. Patricia was preceded in death by her parents Gladys and Clifford Carroll and sister Virginia Carroll Landuyt all of San Francisco and Millbrae. She was the loving mother of Gordon Bush Holcombe, Jr. ("Skip") of Millbrae and Todd Gregory Holcombe (Cindy) of Concord; loving grandmother of Sean, Annie and Max Holcombe of Concord. "Tree" will be lovingly remembered and missed by sisters, Joanie Carroll of Hayward and Barbara Carroll Greenleaf (William) of Millbrae and Hayward, numerous nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews. She was a caring step-mother and friend to Linda Stack, Leslie Garland and the late Mark Holcombe. She will be greatly missed by all the family, whom she loved with all her heart. "Mom", "Tree", "Patricia", "Aunt Patty", "Gramma Patty" We love you! Private ceremony to be held. Donations can be made in Patricia Carroll Holcombe's name to Greenpeace.