In memory of our dear
Patricia A. Reynolds
September 10, 1940 - December 31, 2011
If you have other photos to share, please send them to janeellefson@comcast.net
Obituary
Patricia Ann (Coan) Reynolds
Patricia
Ann (Coan) Reynolds, 71, of Gilbert, Arizona passed away early December
31, 2011 at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center after a sudden cardiac arrest.
She was born September 10, 1940 in Peru, Indiana, the daughter of
Charles W. and Louise (Touby) Coan.
"Patty"
attended Howard County elementary school and graduated from Northwestern
High School in Kokomo in 1958. She was active in band, choir and
enjoyed playing piano.
Patty married David
Shenk Mann in 1958 and raised three daughters - Michelle, Marcia and
Melissa. They lived primarily in Dayton, Ohio until a job assignment
took them to Tehran, Iran. They were married for 18 years.
Patricia
had a long career in retail sales and was even worked a full shift the
day of her attack. She lived in Nevada, California, Florida and Arizona,
moving in order to be close to daughters and grandchildren.
She
is survived by her beloved daughters and their husbands, Michelle Mann
and Eric Schmidt, Marcia and Jim Brinton, Melissa and Jim Dixon; and
their children Connor, James and Matthew Schmidt, Michelle and James
Brinton, and Kayla and Shelby Dixon; Aunts Virginia Coan and Dorothy
Kearney; along with many cousins and close friends.
A
memorial services is planned for 2:00 p.m., January 28, 2012 at
Northview Christian Church, 2059 North 100 East Morgan Street, Kokomo,
Indiana.
Biography
Patricia Ann (Coan)
Reynolds, 71, passed away December 31, 2011 at Mercy Gilbert Medical
Center after a sudden cardiac arrest. She was born in Peru, Indiana,
the daughter of Charles and Louise (Touby) Coan.
Patricia grew up on a farm in Kokomo Indiana. During
her childhood, her family called her "Patty". She was active in 4-H
and church activities as a youth. She played piano beautifully and
started taking lessons from her Aunt Virginia when she was 6 years old. She attended Howard Elementary and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1958. She sang in the high school choir and played 1st chair flute in band.
Her mother, Louise, wrote about
Patty as
a child driving the tractor and trying to get a sun tan, carrying the
milk strainer to the barn for her father, watching the wrestling matches
at Grandma Coan's house, and throwing tomatoes at the pickers. At big
Touby family gatherings, everyone chipped in a $.25 to pay her to wash
the dishes! Patricia was a dedicated and hard worker, her strong work ethic influenced by her early years on the family farm.
Patty
met David Shenk Mann at a high school basketball game in Kokomo,
Indiana and they were married in Fort Wayne, Indiana by Rev. Richard
Lauer on September 26, 1958. Paul Sapp and Doris Lauer were their
attendants. Pat and David were married for 18 years and raised 3
daughters in Dayton, Ohio. During their years together, the Manns also lived in Iran and traveled to many exciting destinations.
After
returning to the United States, Pat settled in Las Vegas and began a
career in hotel management. A few years later, hotel work took her to
California and she and Melissa relocated to Foster City, CA. In
addition, Tricia's career included owning and operating two franchise
stores called Wicks & Sticks and working for Macy's. Most recently,
Tricia worked at the local CVS drugstrore and, in true Tricia-fashion,
she was still working the day of her attack.
Her love of music continued throughout her life;
Tricia especially loved jazz. She often attended the Monterey and Russian River Jazz Festivals while living in California. Tricia enjoyed
the state's natural beauty, the ocean, skiing in Lake Tahoe, and San
Francisco's cultural activities. Her mother, Louise, often traveled to
California to visit. Tricia and Michelle always planned a special
outing - weekends in the Gold Country and trips to Monterey Bay and the
farmlands and vineyards of Northern California.
Family
was most important to Tricia so she moved to Florida to be closer to
Marcia's family. She felt far too young to be called grandma, so "Nana"
was the what the grandchildren
called her. She felt such pride and joy in watching Shelly and Jimmy's
sport events and activities. She loved going to the beach and having
cookouts with the kids.
On her last Christmas Day in Florida (2005), the entire family was together. Marcia's family lived there, Melissa's young family came from Arizona and Michelle's family came from California. With college, school schedules, long distances, and busy lives, it was rare that all the family could be together.
When
Melissa and Jim started a family, Tricia decided to move to Arizona to
be closer to the little ones. Kayla and Shelby were the lights of her
life. She enjoyed doing crafts with them, playing games, going to their
school functions and watching them grow. She was a huge part of their
lives and will be dearly missed.
Thankfully
Arizona was closer to California, so Michelle and her son Matthew were
able to see Nana several times a year and always around her birthday.
They celebrated her 70th birthday in San Diego with the adult children
and her 71st with a Polynesian theme at Trader Vic's in Palo Alto. Her
children made every family celebration an occasion to remind her how
special she was.
Tricia's
flair for creating beautiful settings reflected her terrific sense of
style and creativity. Her homes were always beautifully decorated,
perfectly appointed and wonderfully scented. Christmas
was her favorite time of year. Nana always had the tree up early -
before Thanksgiving sometimes! Angels, santas, poinsettas, lights and
candles filled her home. Baking cookies and decorating them with her
grandchildren was the most pleasurable part of the holidays. And
eating the cookies wasn't bad either! The days before her death were
full of joy and happiness.
Tricia
was a strong willed and independent woman, sometimes even stubborn.
She enjoyed living alone and never wanted to be a bother. As the
family talked about the future, she seemed open to the idea of
eventually letting go and living with her daughters, sons-in law and
their children.
Tricia encouraged and supported her children unconditionally. They loved her deeply and will miss her terribly. Her spirit lives on in Michelle, Marcia and Melissa - they are indeed her greatest legacy.
A note from Aunt Virginia
January 2, 2012
I awoke early this morning, remembering so many things about our dear Patricia, and wanted to share with you.
Patricia was born September 10, 1940. She was the adopted daughter of Charles and Louise Coan of rural Kokomo. She was known as Patty as a little girl; pretty, talented, and oh so busy. She was very musical, enjoyed singing and playing the piano. Her first piano lessons with me were a delight. She participated in 4-H and many school activities, graduating from Northwestern High School in 1958. In the fall of that year, she married David Mann. They became the parents of three daughters; Michelle Annette, Marcia Arlene and Melissa Rene.
Patricia was always friendly and out-going. She was very supportive in helping her husband as he completed his degree at Indiana University in Bloomington, and later with his employment in Dayton, Ohio. They made friends easily in each location. An assignment with Goodyear took them to Iran where the young family enjoyed the experience of the cultural differences. She encouraged her daughters in their schooling in the American school in Iran, and in Switzerland. Michelle later graduated from high school in Mexico.
Patricia was always willing to work hard to achieve the goals set before her. She held many responsible positions in retail sales, and at one time owned her own business. She enjoyed the pleasure of creating attractive displays, and trying new marketing techniques. She continued her employment well past her retirement age.
Most of all, Patricia enjoyed and dearly loved her family. Her daughters and her grandchildren were her first priority. After living in Florida for several years near Marcia and Jim and their family, she moved to Gilbert, Arizona to be near her youngest daughter Melissa and James and their two dear daughters. Michelle, Eric and her grandson Matthew were not far away in California. She was always able to adapt to new situations. Her home was open and inviting.
In her note to me just a few days before Christmas, she wrote, "I hope the holiday season finds you well and enjoying the best gift of all -- family." She closed with, "I wish that I might see you sometime again soon. So sit down and play a Christmas song and we'll all join our voices in harmony. Thank you so much. Patricia"
Our dear Patricia has now joined the heavenly choir.