Patricia Laurene Mayall

Patricia Laurene Smith Mayall. Patricia "Pat" Mayall died gently and peacefully at home on November 14, 2019 in the loving embrace of her husband Bob, daughter Carol, son Jim and daughter-in-law Marcene.


Pat was born on March 17, 1930 in Los Angeles, California. A proud California native, Pat grew up in her family's home in the Los Felix area near the eastern edge of Hollywood. Pat was an outstanding student, but most of all she loved horseback riding in Griffith Park. She had her own pony, Too Soon, for trail riding, and she won many ribbons for showing three and five gaited horses in competition.


After high school at John Marshall High, Pat matriculated to UCLA. There she was an enthusiastic member of Rally Committee, and pledged the Kappa Delta sorority, meeting KD sisters who became lifelong friends.


Pat fell in love with Robert "Bob" Bailey Mayall after they met and became bowling, badminton and bridge partners on outings with co-workers at the Southern California Edison Company. Two years later, Pat and Bob married on December 27, 1952, forming an unbreakable bond that sustained them for close to sixty-seven years.


After giving birth to daughter Carol and son Jim, Pat juggled full-time motherhood with continued college studies. She graduated from California State University at Northridge with a degree in history. In her senior year, Pat was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi honor society in recognition of her outstanding scholarship.


Pat became a credentialed teacher of middle school students at Sepulveda Junior High School in the San Fernando Valley, teaching history and business. Her lifelong love of learning was infectious and her students whether markedly below average or very highly gifted thrived through her deft skill in making learning both meaningful and achievable.


After retiring from teaching in 1986, Pat turned her full attention to genealogy, an interest which originated in early conversations with grandmother Lucy Jane. Family history became a consuming pursuit, which paired perfectly her curiosity about people and places with her penchant for painstaking scholarly research.


Genealogy led Pat to the Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames, organizations that she joined and served for over thirty years. As President of Colonial Dames, she established the American Studies Award which recognizes mastery of American history and government by local students, independent of any financial need or other consideration. As Registrar and Volunteer Genealogist of DAR, she was responsible for guiding prospective members through the rigorous membership process.


Pat's love of her KD sisters also led her to volunteer positions with Kappa Delta and the Coachella Valley Alumnae Panhellenic. Serving first as president of the Kappa Delta chapter house at UCLA, she presided over restoration of the house after a devastating fire. Later, she was a tireless supporter of Panhellenic's mission of offering college scholarships to deserving young women from local high schools, serving as both president and financial advisor. Kappa Delta recognized her lifelong commitment by awarding her its Distinguished Service Medal. She was inducted into the Kappa Delta White Rose and Emerald Circles in 1998 and 2008, respectively.


Never daunted by life's obstacles, Pat turned to the Braille Institute when macular degeneration robbed her of her precious sight in the early 2000s. She learned to read and write in Braille, remained abreast of current events via books on tape, and mastered techniques for reading and writing on her computer despite her loss of vision. Her perseverance and positive attitude exemplified her core belief that the glass is never half empty, but always half full.


Pat's greatest achievement was her most ardent passion the cultivation of a loving and committed family bound together by tradition and support. She nurtured that family to the very end, serving as role model, standard bearer, teacher of values, loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Countless books read aloud, beach house vacations planned and taken, Grandparents' Days faithfully attended, holidays celebrated, and birthdays remembered Pat was always present, always committed.


Pat's standard of excellence and attention to the smallest details stood out, as did her Quaker-rooted belief that love in its most profound and Christian sense is the ultimate answer to every problem. Love thy neighbor, love thyself, love thy God and country.


Pat was preceded in death by her mother Edith Laurene Fitzsimmons Smith and father Delwin Wilson Smith, and by her cherished brother Harley Eugene Merritt, whose death in World War II was an enduring sorrow. She is survived by her loving husband Robert Bailey Mayall of Palm Desert, her daughter Carol Laurene Mayall Belfield of Corona del Mar, her son James Harley Mayall and his wife Marcene Pearl Goodlund Mayall of Carlsbad, and grandchildren Anne Laurene Belfield (Los Angeles), Sean Bailey Mayall (Petaluma) and Conor James Belfield (Seattle).


Pat was the real deal. She practiced what she preached. She lived her life with integrity, love and gratitude. She showed respect and extended dignity to those she encountered. She was generous. Her standards were high, and she exceeded them.


Funeral services will be held at St. Michaels by the Sea Episcopal Church in Carlsbad, California on November 29, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. A celebration of Pat's life will be held at her home on Sunday, December 1, 2019 between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to the Rancho Mirage Center of the Braille Institute (https://www.brailleinstitute.org/ranchomirage) or to the Patricia Mayall American Studies Award of the Cape Ann Chapter of Colonial Dames (contact cbelfield@harkerlaw.com regarding this donation).