September 16, 1942 – September 7, 2022 Patricia "Patty" Dunkin was born on September 16, 1942 in San Francisco, CA. Her father James Carmody was in the service during World War II. Patty and her mother Raynel known to all as "Babe" — eventually settled after the war in Redlands. Babe then met and married Harry W. Pruitt, who everyone knew as "Bud." The family eventually settled on horse property on Bernard Way in San Bernardino, where they later welcomed Patty's brothers JR, Rodney and David, and her sister Penny. Bud of course participated in raising Patty in their home, treating her as his own. Patty was quite the horse rider in her youth. Bud and Babe ran a horse stable and Patty took to horse riding like a duck to water. She won numerous local competitions and, along with "Patches," eventually won a state championship. Patty graduated from Pacific High School in San Bernardino in 1960 and spent two years at San Bernardino Valley College. She then transferred to Long Beach State and obtained a degree in accounting in 1965, becoming the first in her family to do so. While at Long Beach State, she met David, the love of her life. Dave and Patty married in 1964 and first settled in Long Beach. Bud was in the car business and eventually became the owner of Ontario Chrysler Plymouth on Mountain Avenue. Both Patty and Dave took jobs in the accounting department at OCP in 1965 and moved to Upland. In 1965, Patty and Dave welcomed their first child Craig into the world. Patty and Dave continued to work at OCP until it went out of business in 1969. That same year, Dave and Patty welcomed their second child Scott. Dave passed the CPA exam about a year later, by which time the family had moved into their first house on Mariposa Avenue in Ontario. Patty worked at a couple of car dealerships in the accounting department during this time and eventually got a job at the Bank of California, where she worked until 1974. Patty then began dedicating herself full time to her family and a long and distinguished career of volunteering. Even before that, while working full time, Patty still found time to help at the boys' school. Dave and Patty bought their first house on Francis Avenue in Upland in 1973. It was a new house with no landscaping, so Dave and Patty became expert do-it-yourselfers by necessity, with many trips to Builder's Emporium. Patty became an active member of the PTA at Sierra Vista Elementary School in Upland, holding just about every position feasible, including president, librarian and "room mother." While she was librarian, there was a devastating fire that destroyed most of the books at the school library. Patty stepped up and led the drive to rebuild and restore the library to an even better state than it was before. For her efforts, she received the Honorary Service Award, the highest award that a local PTA can bestow. Her volunteer spirit did not stop at the boys' school. She was a Den Leader for both boys' cub scout packs, first with Yvonne Kean and then with Diane Rinehart. She was also team mother for most of the boys' baseball and soccer teams and also kept score for the boys' baseball teams. She also served in various capacities with the local little league. Once the 70s hit, Patty started suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately, this came at a time before several medications hit the market that likely would have given her some relief during these years. While arthritis didn't dampen her volunteer spirit, it did rob her of the ability to ride horses on any regular basis and from being active in other activities like hiking, extended walks and even playing catch. Undaunted by her arthritis, she remained a devoted mother, wife and volunteer through these health challenges. She was there to play board games on rainy days, teach her sons every kind of card game, or help create a wiffle-ball field or high jump. She also drove her kids not only to their events, but also took them to museums, sporting events, cultural attractions, botanical gardens, apple-picking or just a local swimming hole. As the boys got older, Patty still stayed active in their schools, serving as team mother for many of their high school teams. In June 1979, she was invited to join the local Assistance League, which became her volunteering passion and the source of many of her lifelong friends. She volunteered hundreds if not thousands of hours at the Dental Center and held just about every official position within the chapter, including serving as president in 1985. She also came to hold positions within National Assistance League. Both sons eventually married. In 1999, Patty became a grandparent when Craig and his wife Laurie welcomed Brett into the world. JD followed three years later. Patty went to just about all of her grandkids' birthdays, school events, soccer games, baseball games, basketball games, volleyball games, music concerts, plays, graduations and many other events. Even as her health betrayed her in later years, she still managed to come to as many high school volleyball games as she could. Patty became afflicted with COPD and bronchiectasis about 20 years ago, which robbed her of her ability to fully enjoy her later years. However, she continued to be active in other aspects of her life, including Assistance League, book club, travel club, regular bridge games and grandkids. She also loved to play the horses and always enjoyed the Triple Crown races. She also cherished holidays and birthdays with family. Eventually, the breathing issues took their toll and Patty passed away peacefully with family by her side on September 7, 2022. She will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, friend and volunteer. Her sense of humor, gung ho spirit, friendliness and lack of willingness to ever say "no" will never be forgotten. Services will be held at Draper Mortuary on September 26 at 11:30 a.m. Graveside service will follow the service at approximately 1:00 p.m. the same day with a reception at Draper to follow immediately thereafter. Draper Mortuary, 811 North Mountain Avenue, Ontario – 909-986-1311 https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/ontario-ca/draper-mortuary/4515
©2022 Legacy.com All rights reserved.
About Author
