Wood, Patricia Pace

Patricia Pace Wood a former docent at the Tucson Museum 
of Art and previously an administrative vice president of The 
Episcopal Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, 
CA, died April 3, 2010 of complications from the loss of her 
kidneys. She was 80 years old. She moved to Arizona around 
1992, assuming ownership of a home accessory shop in 
Tubac. Later she was a sales representative for the Kaibab 
Courtyard Shops in Tucson. She purchased fabrics in Mexico 
and art works for the business. She was an interior designer 
in the San Jose, CA, area before moving to Tucson. Prior to 
the move, she also taught elementary school for several 
years in San Jose. In the 1960s she played an important role 
in the development of St. John's Episcopal School in Guam, 
serving as board member and head of the curriculum 
committee. She also participated in other activities in the 
Guam community. Interior decorating was her passion, and 
she incorporated many ideas into her Tucson home. She and 
her husband, Kingsley ("Kim"), enjoyed travel during their 
retirement and visited Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Egypt and 
Jordan. Prior to her last trip with her husband -- a ship cruise 
along the Black Sea -- she planned a complicated schedule 
of dialysis treatments in various European cities. A Tucson 
travel agent who helped plan the trip told her: "You have a 
lot of courage and energy, Patricia, to be able to schedule all 
of these appointments." A rare form of kidney failure known 
as Good Pasteur's Syndrome ended their travels and # 
ultimately # her life. Photography and water colors were 
among her hobbies. She photographed animals and birds in 
the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador as well as pyramids in 
Egypt and the natives in Macchu Pichu, Peru. She was a 
voracious reader who loved well-crafted novels such as those 
by Pat Conroy, Khaled Hosseini and Ken Follett. She took 
adult education courses at the Osher Lifelong Learning 
Institute in Tucson on subjects such as Steinbeck and 
Hemingway, and Robert Penn Warren's political novel, All the 
King's Men. She also joined film study groups. She graduated 
from California State University, San Jose, with a degree in 
education. She received a Master's degree in psychology 
from California State University, Hayward. She was the 
daughter of the late Walter and Irma Pace of San Jose and 
was predeceased by her sister, Carol Pace Harney of San 
Jose. She is survived by her husband, Kingsley ("Kim"); three 
sons and a daughter from a previous marriage, Jeffrey, Tim, 
Stephen and Mary Snyder; two stepsons, Tim and Michael 
Clancey; two stepdaughters, Siobhan Clancey-Burns and 
Anne Brown; a stepson, Kit Wood, and stepdaughter, Leslie 
Wood. A Memorial Service will take place at 11:00 a.m. April 
17, 2010 at St. Philip's in the Hills Church, River Road and 
Campbell Ave. in Tucson. The reception will follow. 
Donations may be made to the American Kidney Association.

Published in the Tucson Newspapers on April 14, 2010