Modoc County Record – September 14, 2006 Patricia Frances Hinchey Services for long-time Alturas resident Patricia "Pat" Frances Hinchey, 79, will be held on Friday, September 15 at 11 a.m. at the Alturas Cemetery. Pastor Mel Chasteen will officiate. A gathering will follow at the Alturas Baptist Church on West Fourth St., Alturas. Mrs. Hinchey passed away in Alturas on Sunday, September 10, 2006 at Modoc Medical Center. Born Patricia Murphy on September 4, 1927, in Coffeyville, Kansas, she grew up in Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee and Northeastern University in Miami, OK. Pat loved teaching and taught school for a year, then helped her brother through college, before they both went back to school. She married Walter Soocey and left college, but was left a widow at age 27, with four small children, after Walter was killed in an Air Force maneuver in Las Vegas. Pat moved to Boyes Hot Springs, CA to join her parents so they could help her with the children. She remained a widow for 7-1/2 years until 1962, when she was introduced to Jim Hinchey of Alturas. The two married on June 16, 1962 in Boyes Hot Springs, CA. They were a good match with a common faith and both were creative. They blended their families to raise six children together in Alturas. While her children were in school, Pat worked part-time as secretary/bookkeeper at the local lumber company. She later worked as a substitute teacher for Modoc County schools until her daughters graduated in 1969. Her involvement with the local Art Center began in the early 1960s. Her passion for the arts found her taking every class available at the center, over the years. She served as the Art Center's volunteer bookkeeper and treasurer for over three decades, up until earlier this year. "Pat's been the backbone of the Art Center," said her good friend Margot Curtis in a tribute to Pat in May, when Pat retired from bookkeeping, due to her health. Pat's hands were always busy. She had a good sense of humor and loved learning new things. She was a watercolor artist, enjoyed doing crafts and writing children's stories. She had two diplomas from the Children's Institute of Writing. She also played the piano, loved to sing, was a good cook and provided loving guidance to her own family and many others. >From the age of 16 and through the years, Pat also taught Bible Study and Sunday School. A woman of strong faith, she was a devout member of the Alturas Baptist Church. Her husband Jim passed way January 25, 1998. She is survived by her daughter Sheryll Hite and granddaughter Tamara Wagner of Riverside, CA; daughter Valerie Gibeau, (Dan) and grandchildren Danny, Dawn Gibeau of Blackhawk, SD and James Gibeau of Destin, FL; daughter Patricia Nwobodo (Jack) and granddaughters, Rachel Field and Rebecca Field of Alturas, CA and Jami Price (Jason) and great-granddaughters Abbygail and Hannah Price of Temecula, CA; daughter Geneann Packer (David) and grandchildren Jeremy, Jason, Shane, Mariah Packer of Lakewood, CO; daughter Bonnie Davis (Bob) of Susanville and grandchildren Holly Cotner (John) of South Carolina, Jonathan Davis of Susanville; son Walter Soocey (Pam) and grandchildren John Paul, Vincent, Evonne and Joseph of San Diego; sister Barbara Hager (Ernie), Sacramento; nephew Dan (Shawn) Hager, Napa; niece Linda Simpson, and nephew Steve Hager, Sacramento; brother Tom Murphy (Barbara), Owasso, OK; nephew Tom Murphy (Myra), Kingwood, TX; nephew Anthony Murphy (Tammy), Bartlesville, OK., niece Katherine Alland (Murphy), Minneapolis, MN. Memorials may be directed to the Art Center at 317 North Main St., Alturas or a charity of the donor's choice. Services under the direction of Kerr Mortuary, Alturas. Memorial potluck for Tufts A Memorial potluck gathering in memory of Dorothy and Harold Tufts will be held Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12 noon at the Likely Fire Hall. The family will welcome all to remember and cherish the memories that Harold and Dorothy brought to so many. Dorothy McGarva attended school in Likely, then graduated in 1937 from Modoc High School in Alturas, CA. Dorothy McGarva Tufts passed away October 6, 2005. Her husband Harold passed away July 3, 2006, in Bakersfield, CA, also. ~~~~~~ Billie C. & Anita 'Jean' Reynolds Family Researcher of "The Last Frontier" Modoc County, California --- Our outgoing mail is checked by ZoneAlarm AntiVirus.