Patricia Andreae Beaver

Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Patricia Andreae Taylor was born January 20, 1925, the only child born to Gordon Wilmont Taylor and Thelma"Doris"Andreae Taylor.

Following graduation from Santa Monica High School, Pat went on to become a dental assistant for a time before she met a young U.S. Army Air Force pilot, Kenneth G. Haydis Sr. whom she wed on her 21 st birthday in 1946, at the All-Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California.

The young couple lived first in San Bernardino near Norton Air Force Base where Ken was stationed. Prior to his honorable discharge, they moved briefly to the little desert town of Salome Arizona, where Ken had grown up. After a couple of years, they ventured out with a brief move to Parker, where their family increased by one with the birth of a son, Kenneth Jr. Then moving north to Flagstaff, Arizona, they would welcome a daughter, Georgette to the family.

The couple were civic minded and likewise embraced their entrepreneur spirit. Pat and Ken established Ken's Cork & Bottle, a mini market/ liquor store and in 1964 they built the Whispering Winds Motor Hotel. In 1956, Pat joined the Women's Golf Club at the Flagstaff Country Club where she began competing in tournaments. As her young daughter reached school age, Pat became actively involved in the Flagstaff Girl Scout Association, even taking on leadership roles. By 1962, Pat had fully immersed herself in community activities, by becoming the Fine Arts Department Chairman for the Coconino County Annual Fair at Fort Tuthill Park. Pat was able to recruit a panel of judges, all of whom were experts or professional artisans in their respective craft, which raised the level of interest for competition participants.

Making a final move, the family made their new home in Parker, where Pat and Ken entered a lease with the Colorado River Indian Tribes and began building their newest project, the Kofa Inn hotel, completed in 1967. Shortly thereafter, Pat and Ken went their separate ways with Pat taking over full control of the hotel ownership and its day-to-day operations.

In 1975, Pat served as president of the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce and maintained her membership throughout the decades. Pat was also a charter member of the Chamberettes when they organized, serving as hostesses and ambassadors for events coordinated by the Chamber. Pat was actively involved in her community for many years and received the Parker Area Chamber of Commerce Georgette Award (aka Woman of the Year) and the Lifetime Achievement Award for her many civic contributions and her active support of the Chamber of Commerce.

Through shared interests and love for adventure, Pat married Marion Beaver on November 11, 1976, in the Justice Court in Quartzsite, Arizona. Pat married her best friend and partner in adventures, Marion Walser Beaver who brought to this union his four adult children and their families. Their wedding day was selected because it was considered "No Fight Day" or Armistice Day, which seemed an appropriate choice for the newlywed couple. Later, the federally designated holiday was renamed Veterans Day. Appropriately for them, their wedding reception was held in Osborne Wash on the backside of "P" mountain. Under a night sky lit only with stars and a campfire, they talked a local band into the opportunity of a lifetime which was to provide entertainment, with the use of an old flatbed trailer for their stage from where their music would abound. Guests were able to feast on the traditional pitted beef BBQ dinner with the festivities lasting into the wee hours of the next morning.

When golf came to the Parker Strip, Pat was quick to help with the establishment of the Women's Golf Club and the Junior Golf Program for kids to help teach them golf skills and course etiquette. Pat shared a passion with Marion, who himself had served on the Yuma County Board of Supervisors when the initial groundwork was laid for a golf course to be built along the Colorado River, eventually becoming a reality. It is today what we know as the Emerald Canyon Golf Course.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband, Marion in 2007; her parents and grand-daughter, Jessica Schaefer. Pat is survived by her two children and their spouses: son, Kenneth Haydis, Jr. (Dottie) and daughter, Georgette Schaefer (Jim); two grandchildren, Matthew Haydis (Briana) and Lindsey Gunson (Justin); four great-grandchildren Charlie/Hudson/Sonny/Silvie; and four stepchildren and their families: Roberta Hoffman (Don), Marilou Fellman, Billie Jo Andress; Dan Beaver (Deanna).

Before Marion passed away, he asked of Pat one promise, and that was for her to join the BPO Does Parker Drove # 133. His reasoning was that friendship is something that can pull a person through in both good times and the roughest of times. True to her promise, Pat became a Doe and in 2008, she joined the other members of the Drove by participating in the Town of Parker Parade celebrating the Town's 100th Anniversary, all the while walking the distance with a wave and a smile.

Pat and Marion were married for thirty-one years; enjoyed traveling the world over and setting travel goals. Both were fans of baseball, with a goal of seeing a Major League Baseball (MLB) game in every stadium in the United States and Canada. Of the thirty, they were able to visit all but two. They believed that goal setting gave them something to always be looking forward to. Pat and Marion truly supported each other in all things, which can be exemplified in the smallest of gestures. Marion was always one who didn't sleep through the night and would get up looking for something to snack on, usually crackers and peanut butter which Pat had prepared for Marion before she went to bed. Advanced planning seemed to prevent a later need for kitchen clean-up.

Pat also learned to fly and became a proficient licensed pilot, being taught by none other than her personal flight instructor, Marion. Not quite sure whether her interest was in self-preservation or simply because of the challenge, but she had mentioned on occasion that it was good to know how to fly where they could be back up for each other. This sounds as though they could easily be considered the other's "wingman." Pat and Marion shared a love for each other and together their blended family shared decades of fun, laughter, and adventures, which is how the family chooses to remember this dynamic duo.

Cremation and final arrangements have been handled by the Parker Funeral Home. Comfort care was provided by River Valley Home Health & Hospice. Much appreciation is extended for the loving care given to Pat over the last several years by her daily caregivers: Grace Andrade Jones, Isabel Andrade, Ruth Bartley, Nayeli Palma, and Sherri Ann Swick, the unsung heroes on a day-to-day basis.