Patricia Joann Lanford

Patricia Joann Lanford was born on August 18,1930, and passed away at her daughter’s home on August 15, 2025 at the age of 94, just shy of her 95th birthday,. She was born in Newton, Iowa and spent her growing up years in the small town of Barnes City, Iowa. Her family owned farms in the area and she considered herself a country girl at heart.

After graduating from high school, Pat spent just over a year at Iowa State University studying nutrition. However, she said that the chemistry required for the major did her in, so she started working for Maytag Company as a home economist. She always said it was a great job, involving testing appliances by experimenting with different temperatures, food recipes, etc. However, Pat described herself as independent, adventurous and  resilient, and decided she wanted to move away from Iowa and try something different, so she headed for Colorado. She worked for an insurance company there and lived in the local YWCA. On the only winter day when the conditions were good enough for ice skating, she met Doug Lanford, who was stationed at the Air Force base in Denver.

Doug and Pat married in 1954. After Doug left the Air Force, and along with their young daughter Terry, they moved to Anaheim, California. Their son, Curt, was born a few years later. Pat was very involved in her community and children’s activities. She was a fixture at the Little League refreshment stand and Girl Scout meetings. She was very proud of her later years of full-time work as a Teacher’s Aide. She always said she thought she would have made an excellent teacher.

After Doug and Patty retired, they moved to Meridian, Idaho. They loved their home and filled it with their antique treasures and collectibles. They spent a lot of time traveling. Although the first to admit she wasn’t athletic herself, Pat loved sports and came to many of her grandchildren’s games, as well as following her various pro/college sports teams. She loved board games, and was quite an accomplished card player. One of her friends shared that Patty was so smart, her card moves left her scrambling after Patty’s plays.

Pat said she enjoyed simple things like gardening and cooking, especially making          delicious treats at Christmas-time. She was especially proud of her award-winning      peanut brittle. She had a wonderful memory and loved sharing stories with her family. She was always ready with a warm embrace and words of encouragement.

Pat moved into Brookdale Independent Living in 2024. She soon became well known there as “Hatty Patty,” because of her love of wearing hats. She was very social and spent much of her time walking and visiting with folks. One of the Brookdale staff said that she really lit up the place, always smiling and greeting people. She was not shy about sharing her faith. Daily she would get out her magnifying glass and study the Bible.

Pat is survived by her two children and their spouses: Curt (Patricia) and Terry (Roger), three grandchildren: Blake (Andrea), Drew (Jenny), and Whitney (Casey), four             great-grandchildren: Everett, Paheli, Lucy and Ruby. She was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Doug, her parents, Glen and Lois, and brother, Vance.

Her son affectionately called her “little person,” but there is no doubt she had a big impact on her family and friends, We celebrate her release from this world and the welcome she is receiving in the next. We know our sadness will be replaced with sweet memories.