Pat was born on December 19, 1936, in Kansas City, Missouri to Cleo Ewing Craven and Mary Letha (Lowen) Craven as the youngest of their two daughters. She graduated from Southwest High School in Kansas City in 1954 where she was involved in many activities, served as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, and was a member of the Honor Society every semester.
Pat went on to study Music Education at Kansas State University and joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority where she was involved throughout her lifetime. At K-State, Pat met and fell in love with her lifetime partner Dolan Kenneth McDaniel. The two lovebirds eloped and were married on January 2, 1957 and successfully concealed their marriage for about 6 months. While Dolan began his career as a geophysicist, Pat completed her bachelor’s degree and graduated a semester early in January 1958 with honors.
Together, Pat and Dolan embarked on their ‘doodlebugger’ oil exploration adventures which required frequent moves to Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Louisiana, Montana, Wyoming and Texas. In May 1958, the young couple was blessed with their first child, Laurie Kay in Chickasha OK and the trio continued to move frequently between Dolan’s field assignments. Their son, David Kenneth, joined the family in 1964 in Dallas TX. From 1970 to 1972, the family lived in Bogota, Colombia which gave them the opportunity to see much of South and Central America and expand their cultural horizons.
In 1972, Pat, Dolan and family relocated to the Canyon Creek neighborhood of Richardson TX where they would spend the rest of their lives. All-in-all, Pat moved over 40 times in her lifetime and was an expert at family mobility and making new lifelong friendships in new locales. Her flexibility, resourcefulness and resilience provided stability to her vagabond family and set a great example for her children.
Pat sustained her love of music and the arts, including symphony and opera, throughout her lifetime and was a gifted pianist and singer. In Canyon Creek, she played golf and was rewarded with a hole-in-one on #14 at Canyon Creek Country Club in July 1986. During Dolan’s career with Geophysical Services Incorporated, Pat traveled with him frequently and they continued to explore most of the United States and the world during their retirement years. She tirelessly volunteered and held leadership roles across many organizations including the Richardson Woman’s Club, Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumni, and the Richardson Symphony (Orchestra) League.
Pat is preceded in death by her father Cleo Ewing Craven, her mother Mary Letha (Lowen) Craven and her husband of 65 years Dolan Kenneth McDaniel. She is survived by her sister, Peggy Craven Tigerman of San Pedro CA, her daughter Laurie Kay (Brian) Holgate, her son David Kenneth (Julianne) McDaniel, her grandchildren Neal Edward Holgate, Gail Marie Holgate (Bo) Priest, Kenneth Jeffery McDaniel, Melissa Marie McDaniel and her nieces & nephews living in California and Kansas.
A Celebration of Life for Pat will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Richardson (503 N Central Expressway, Richardson 75080) on Tuesday, December 19, 2023 at 2:00pm.
The church staff will live stream the service and this can be accessed by clicking the link below, near the listed service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Pat’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch or any non-profit supporting underprivileged/at-risk youth.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.TedDickeyFuneral.com for the McDaniel family.
Arrangements by Ted Dickey Funeral Home.
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