Patricia Curtin

Pat Curtin, Master Gardener, was also a ‘gardening master’ of family and friends, tending to them lovingly. With her husband, Jack, of almost 64 years of marriage prior to his passing, nurtured their four children to adulthood and welcomed spouses/partners, and grandchildren as their garden grew, John (Colleen) Curtin and their children, Mary Curtin (Bryan Olmstead), Michael Curtin, Catherine (Steve) LeCocq and their children, Ryan (Vibeke) LeCocq, Dustin LeCocq, Elisabeth (Mark) McKenzie, Vanessa (Adrian) Rubio and children, Helena Rubio, Theodore Rubio. Our roots are strong, the garden grows on, but the garden matriarch’s touch is greatly missed.

A lot of Pat’s early life became a jumble of confused memories later in her life. One thing for sure was that she loved the summers she and her younger sister, Sally, spent at camp, which probably carried over into her and Jack’s love of camping that was so much a part of family life as they raised their children. Camping and other outdoor activities were also a favorite gathering time with Sally and husband, Mike, and their three children, Eric, Frank, and Margaret.

Pat graduated with a degree in Education from the University of Houston where she also met Jack. They were married in 1950. They celebrated the births of four children spread out over the next eighteen years. Pat’s primary focus during these years was as a wife, mother, and homemaker, serving as scout and campfire leader, school room mother, PTA member and just about any other parent volunteer position.

As the children grew older, Pat went through an epiphany in the early 1970s, going back to school and earning a master’s degree in Art Therapy. Though she never really entered the work force, she was always eager to teach a class in any of a number of art and craft techniques.

One of Pat’s other loves was gardening. She became a Master Gardener and became very involved volunteering with the Albuquerque Garden Center and county extension service. The home landscape she and Jack created in the yard of their home for almost 50 years, was a refreshing and beautiful gathering place and retreat.

Pat and Jack were involved in their church in a number of ways. Pat also shared, with her husband, his passion for environmental protection and social justice in the world. Together they spent time in Cuernavaca, Mexico, volunteering with Bread for the World at an artisan’s co-op. Jack would fix whatever was broken and Pat worked with the crafts persons teaching them methods of making their products more marketable, which created jobs and insured that more profits were received by the artisans.

One thing they didn’t always share was Pat’s love for travel, but that didn’t slow her down from exploring new places whenever the opportunity arose. She had been to Africa and Russia among many other places. Her favorite haunts however were anywhere there was a beach, and her very favorite was Puerto Penasco, Mexico, on the Sea of Cortez. Well into her 60s, she would travel there by van with Marine Biology students from UNM, help cook the meals and camp out on the beach as a ‘bus driver’s vacation.’ In later years, she also shared this special place with the rest of her family.

Pat was on the verge of greedy in her thirst to experience new things and explore new places. Above all, she enjoyed sharing those experiences with her children and grandchildren. They were all greatly enriched by it and enjoy many fond memories.

Pat never had what could really be called a career. She never held a job or climbed the corporate ladder. She was just a housewife, but there was no ‘just’ about it. She was so much more, and her impact on the world is reflected in all her family and everyone else whose lives she touched in some way or another.