Pat Durham

Pat Durham (born Patricia Jane Eisler on January 5, 1933) died Monday, September 26, 2016 in the Hospice Serenity House in Santa Barbara, California. She is survived by her sons Matt and Andrew, as well as her grandchildren Travis, Cayman and Tashi and daughter in-laws Victoria and Natalie. Pat was born in Lawrence, Kansas to Henry and Louise Eisler and moved to Greenview, Ohio when she was in elementary school. It was here that she began lifetime friendships with a tight group of neighbors and classmates.

After graduating from Indiana University, Pat met Jim Durham through Jim’s brother Laird, a colleague at GE. They married in Sausalito, California and then moved to Berkshire, Massachusetts to begin a career in education. While there, they had two children, Matthew and Andrew, before moving out to California to begin a lifetime of work and service at Cate School in Carpinteria. They worked and lived and raised their children in this beautiful community for 50 years, in which time they developed countless, wonderful relationships.

Pat’s professional experience included working as a kindergarten instructional assistant at Canalino School, office manager for an architect, and assistant to the counselor and college counselor at Cate School. In her retirement years, Pat was on the executive board of the Breast Resource Center and served as its secretary for over 15 years. She was a member of the City of Carpinteria’s Host program, was an active member of the Friends of the Carpinteria Library, and was a loyal volunteer for the library’s used book store. Pat was an avid tennis player and a member of the Polo and Racquet Club.

Pat will always be remembered as a kind soul who loved her friends, family, pets, and the magical place she lived. Goodbye Pat!

A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at her home (5137 Cambridge Lane, Carpinteria) on Saturday, October 22, from 1 to 5 PM.