Patricia L. Dawson

Patricia Lea Dawson (Smith) passed away October 19, 2024, at her home in Santa Barbara, California. Pat was born on June 9,1930 in El Paso, TX, to Lillian and Lawrence Smith. The family moved to Mesa, AZ, in 1935. After the death of her father in 1942, Pat moved with her mother and her brother, Larry, to Santa Barbara. She graduated from Santa Barbara High School and went to work right away for General Telephone, where she met and then married her husband, Warren Dawson, in 1952. While they were raising three children, she started her career in education spending three decades working at several of the public schools in the greater Santa Barbara area.

Her first job was at McKinley Elementary School, as a teacher’s aide. Following that, she helped run the counseling office at San Marcos High School, the Student Activities and Athletics programs at Dos Pueblos High School (for 10 years), and then returned to San Marcos High School where she served as the secretary to the school Principal. She retired in 1995 after 31 years of service to public education.

Pat was a lifelong student. She loved learning and took classes for many years at SBCC and UCSB on different subjects. She also loved bridge or any card game, board games, and crafts, especially quilting and glass casting. Pat also enjoyed travelling with family and friends, including memorable trips coast to coast across the country, to ‘Bay to Breakers” in San Francisco with her best friends [for 13 years], snowmobiling to Yellowstone, to New Mexico, to Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the British Isles, and to Italy. 

Pat will always be remembered as a loving and supporting friend to many. She put family and friends first, making sure to connect regularly with as many people as she could. Beyond her card groups and her high school friends who she shared times with for over 70 years, for the past 20+ years her neighbors were a constant source of joy and support who she always spoke fondly of.

Pat was preceded in death by her daughter Debra Lee Bryden, and her former husband Warren Dawson. She leaves behind countless family friends and her grieving family of sons Todd (wife Stefania) of Berkeley, CA, and Greg (wife Elizabeth) of Orange, CA, grandsons Cody Dawson of Baltimore, MA, and Josh Bryden (wife Alicia) and great-grandchildren Lily and Logan of Diamond Spring, CA, as well as cousins in Santa Barbara and San Diego.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of Pat’s favorite charities, such as St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, The Cottage Hospital Cancer Unit, the Santa Barbara Foodbank and Rescue Mission. 

Rest in peace Pat: mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend.