Patrick Cavendish

1937 - 2023

Patrick Cavendish
September 22, 1937 - April 2, 2023
Tenino, Washington - Patrick Cavendish was born on September 22, 1937 in Winchester, UK to Patricia (nee Atchison). He died of leukemia on April 2, 2023 at the age of 85, surrounded by family and friends in Tenino, Washington at the home he shared with his loving wife, artist Mryna Orsini. As a boy, Patrick attended boarding school, spending his holidays on the Isle of Wight where his grandparents lived and where he learned to sail. Fascinated by languages and human history at a young age, he excelled at school and stayed on to take "S levels" in French, German, and Spanish in preparation for university. Patrick began studying Chinese after being conscripted into the Royal Air Force in 1956. In 1958, he passed the Civil Service Examination in Chinese with Distinction and went on to study at Cambridge, graduating with a First in History in 1962. He studied Chinese History as a postgraduate at the University of London and then spent a year at Columbia University in New York City before returning to Cambridge. He received his PhD in Chinese History from Trinity College in 1968. In that same year, Patrick moved to Santa Cruz, California with his first wife and their two boys to take up an Associate Professorship in Chinese History at UC Santa Cruz. Later, taking a break from academia, he sailed to Alaska and then moved to Olympia, Washington where he met his second wife, with whom he had a daughter and a son. He built a house for the family in the forest west of Olympia and created one of many wonderful gardens. During the mid 1980s, Patrick taught Chinese at The Evergreen State College and English as a Second Language at Centralia College and Saint Martin's College. He began working at Pierce College in 1989, eventually becoming the Director of International Education. After 23 years of service to Pierce College, Patrick retired in 2012 and received a trophy from the Korean Consul for his significant contributions to the Korean community. In 2017, he married Myrna Orsini and spent many wonderful years painting, gardening, travelling widely, and helping to run Monarch Sculpture Park. Patrick was beloved by people around the world for his warmth and authenticity. He will be remembered for his endless intellectual curiosity, his fantastic stories, and the loving way he cared for his family and friends. Patrick's joie de vivre and quick, dry wit made him the life of the party even during the very last days of his life. Patrick is survived by Myrna, his sister Hannah Walton, and his four children, Alex Cavendish, Toby Cavendish, Hannah Cavendish-Palmer, and Will Cavendish. Donations in his honor should be sent to Monarch Sculpture Park at P.O. Box 1125, Tenino, WA, 98589. Other payment methods are available at www.monarchsculpturepark.org.