Patricia R. Cranford

Written (mostly) by:

Patricia R. Cranford

Patricia R. Cranford was born on January 30, 1928 in Racine, Wisconsin. Her parents were Theodore and Ruth Strippel Rietz. Her father owned the Rietz Brewery which he later sold to Old Milwaukee. He then worked for the electric company. Their house was a showcase for all of the latest electrical appliances in the 1930’s.

Pat and Don met in the 12th grade when they were both 16 years old. After high school, Pat attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Don attended the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He joined the Navy for a year and then the Army. He always knew that he wanted to serve his country through military service. Pat and Don were married in 1948 when they were 20 years old. Patsy became a dedicated military officer’s wife and homemaker. Don attended the University of Arizona where he received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. He was assigned to Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, Arizona where their first daughter, Heather McMurran, was born.

Don was then transferred to Udine, Italy. He flew while Pat and Heather traveled on the USS Constitution. Pat was seasick for 8 days. Their second daughter, Ivy Lee Cranford, was born at the Naval Hospital in Pisa, Italy. Pat remembers that the only place to put The Officer’s Club was in the basement of a bombed out building. Everyone was thankful for a place to congregate. It had a unique ambiance. The next transfer was to Morocco in Africa where they lived next to a burned out French pharmacy. Pat asked if it was a safe neighborhood and the reply was “you don’t have to worry unless you see a two-ton truck driving down the street with a machine gun on the roof.” Then there would be trouble. Two days later she heard a loud noise and there was the truck barreling down the road. It was time to leave. Pat and her two daughters climbed aboard a helicopter and were evacuated to the Naval Air Station in Lyautey, Morocco. When it was safe to return home, they noticed that the guard was still sitting there guarding the house. The next transfer was to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. Their third daughter, Heidi Cranford Young, was born in Panama City, Florida.

From there they moved to a semi-remote Radar Station in Upper Peninsula, Michigan. Don’s job was to intercept UFOs (not spaceships but real Unidentified Flying Objects) coming in from Canada. When the snow melted it sounded like Niagara Falls running under the house. One time the family was berry picking. When they returned to their car, there were 3 bears eating the berries out of their car trunk. Pat chased them away. She was fearless. The family was then transferred to Otis Air Force Base near Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. President Kennedy was assassinated while they were living there. The town and the schools were shut down so that all of the residents could watch the funeral on the television.

The family was then transferred to Tampa in 1965 where Pat remained a homemaker and an Air Force Officer’s wife. She always said that her career was raising her three daughters. Don continued his military career in Korea, Vietnam, and the Panama Canal Zone. He passed away one day before his 65th birthday in 1993. Pat was a widow for 25 years. She spent most of her life helping those less fortunate. She belonged to The Tampa Woman’s Club; Daughters of the Nile; Eastern Star (50-year member); Shrine Widows Club; Military Officer’s Wives Association (MOWA); the Bon Aire Circle (which was a branch of the Tampa Garden Center); and the Military Widows Group.

Pat and Don loved to travel and enjoyed visiting many exotic locations. They were stationed many other places around the world and in America. Too many to print here. They lived or vacationed in 5 of the 7 continents.

Pat is survived by: three daughters, Heather McMurran (retired Lieutenant Colonel, Navy Nurse), Ivy Lee Cranford (she has enjoyed working at Busch Gardens for 39 years), and Heidi Young (Licensed Counselor); her son-in-law, Jamie Young, (retired College Dean); and three grandsons, Tyler Young, and Matthew and Nathan McMurran. She is predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Donald W. Cranford. She is also predeceased by her parents and her two brothers Theodore Rietz, Jr. and Charles T. Rietz (Uncle Bud).

Patricia’s hobbies included sewing; painting; drawing; sunbathing; traveling; bicycling; landscaping and knitting beautiful scarves, shawls and throws.

Mom’s favorite saying was “make hay while the sun shines” and she did her entire life. She did as much as she could for as long as she could. Maybe that’s the secret to a long and happy life.

She will always be in our hearts, in the hearts of the many that loved her, and as close as a beautiful memory. She will be forever loved, forever remembered, and forever missed.

Donations may be made to Daughters of the Nile Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit public corporation which maintains a permanent endowment fund to benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children(R). Donations can be sent to the Foundation by sending to Elim Temple No. 76 in Memory of Princess Pat Cranford to: Jane Edwards, PQ, Princess Recorder, 12207 Glencliff Circle, Tampa, Florida 33626