Obituary

Patricia Ann De La Cruz, 85, was born on March 5th, 1938, in West Hollywood, California, the only child of parents Jane Frame Campbell and Kenneth Livingston Morris. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, in the early morning hours of September 26th, 2023, from complications of Covid-19.

Patricia attended Redondo Union High School but graduated from Mira Costa High School in 1955 after a senior year transfer. In 1959, she met and married Reuben, with whom she had two daughters. She and her family left California in 1969, spent just over a year in Michigan, and then set off to live in South America, first in Cali, Colombia, and then in Valencia, Venezuela. The family returned to Michigan in 1974, where they remained for over a decade. She and Reuben next relocated to Auburn, Alabama, and finally returned to the West Coast in 1996, when they retired in the northern California city of Chico. After Reuben’s passing in 2007, she made her way down to Mission Viejo to be closer to her daughters, which would be her last change of address.

Although her primary occupation was as a homemaker when her children were young, she worked many interesting jobs over the years, starting as a teenager working at a refreshment stand on the Redondo Beach Pier. She went on to pack See’s Candies, conduct surveys as a market research analyst, package vitamins, enter and research warranty data for the Big Three automakers, work in the registrar’s office at Auburn University, and help voters as a volunteer poll worker for several elections.

Patricia was an avid reader, particularly interested in science fiction, murder mysteries, and historical fiction. In her later years, she listened to hundreds of audiobooks. She was quite active on social media and had many friends that she considered family, with whom she interacted daily. Having grown up in Redondo Beach, she loved the ocean and loved to reminisce about her teen years spent hanging out at the beach and exploring the town. She reconnected with many friends from high school at class reunions and online forums, exchanging stories and memories.

As a first-generation child born to a Scottish mother, she dearly loved all things related to Scotland and was a proud member of the Clan Campbell Society of North America.

Patricia is preceded in death by her husband of close to 50 years, Reuben. She is survived by her son James (Donna) and two daughters, Jennifer and Jules (Kimberly).

A private family service will be held on October 20^th. She will be interred beside her husband at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, at a later date. Memorial donations in her honor can be made to Wreaths Across America or a charity of your choosing.