Pat Hughes, beloved friend, teacher, traveler, artist, and dramatist, passed away November 18, 2023 at the age of 91.
California’s gain was Pennsylvania’s loss as the Hughes family moved from her home state in the mid-1960’s, with Pat arriving a few years later.
A Carmel Valley resident for over four decades, Pat touched the lives of many. Said one Carmel Valley Manor staff member: “She was a go-getter. She was tenacious.. She was kind. As your friend, she was all in…she was passionate about everything that she did. That was Pat Hughes.”
Along with her longtime partner, Pat Maurer, and one or more rescued greyhounds and Dobermann pinschers populating their 30-foot RV, she traveled annually to Alaska and the Grand Tetons. The ‘Two Pats’ also took numerous trips to the Southwest to further their appreciation of Native American cultures and visited Kanab, Utah to meet up with other human and canine members of the Greyhound Gang.
Over the years, Pat wrote detailed logs to recreate these adventures for friends. A quote from one of her 2011 recollections: “By writing, I can exercise my thoughts and feelings of such a rewarding trip. I find the slower I go, and the older I get, I am more appreciative of what I consume in experiences!”
“Why go back (to Alaska) year after year?” wrote Pat. “That is the common question from friends. All I can answer is: Why not?”
One of Pat’s relatives, however, expanded on this answer: “I knew her mostly as a biophile. Her love and connection to the living natural world was paramount.”
Pat taught at three schools in the Salinas City Elementary School district. A former student best summed up Pat’s approach to teaching and learning:
“Her class was a highlight of my elementary school experience. I remember Ms. Hughes with sparkling eyes and a wry smile…She held her students to a high standard…and understood us better than we understood ourselves….She managed to arrange more field trips than any other teacher, took us hiking and lizard catching, taught us to draw… and cast us all in her production of Charlotte’s Web. Together as a class we collected bags and bags of used cans, processed them as recycling and donated the money to the Ventana Wilderness Alliance to support their peregrine falcon rehabilitation program. Students left her class feeling seen, understood, and empowered to make a difference in the world. She was one of the best.”
From another student: “…she was an amazing teacher, person, and mentor for many…she brought so much energy and excitement while involving both my fourth-grade class and her sixth-grade class…I had the great pleasure of eventually being in her sixth-grade class where she challenged me to continue to be the best version of myself. Regardless of the challenges…to continue to compete and grow as a person…I fondly remember playing the role of Huckleberry Finn in the play ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’. I was not an actor…but she pushed me out of my comfort zone because she believed I could handle the part.”
With her move to Carmel Valley Manor in the early 2000’s, Pat took on a celebrated role of writer/director of several dramatic and comedic performances, including ‘Charlotte’s Web’, four original screenplays, and three different productions of ‘A Christmas Carol’. Recalls a longtime friend: “She was beloved and very patient with her older actors. She kindly said the main difference between us and her sixth-graders was that the children learned their lines, which made us all smile.”
Pat’s survivors include her sister, Wendy O’Keefe of Monterey, and nephews Jon O’Keefe of Monterey and Paul O’Keefe of Exeter, Devon UK.
No memorial services are planned.
Below are some of Pat’s favorite works…
Word Inventions 