Pat Banks

Patricia Yvonne Banks was born May 1, 1952 in Fresno, CA. to the union of Beverly and Brannon “Bill” Murcherson Jr. She accepted God at a very early age through the tutelage of her beloved Grandmother Edna Reid. She spent the first seven years of her life in Fresno; spending much time with her many second cousins. As both her parents were “only children” she has no first cousins, aunts or uncles. At about the age of seven she moved to Los Angeles where she met her best friend, Rayetta. The two were inseparable until they were caught skipping school for almost a week. Their punishment was not being allowed to see each other outside of school for a year. She said the day that year was up they both ran down the street to each other at exactly the same time. Pat’s friend “Ray” preceded her in death in 2001 after a 12 ½ year battle with cancer. Pat attended Horace Mann Jr. High, George Washington High and Crenshaw High School from where she graduated in 1970. She attended dental assistant school, worked for the Post Office, the Federal Aviation Administration typing National Transportation and Safety Board crash reports and finally worked for the Social Security Administration where she reconnected with a former school mate. Pat and Floyd were married October 2, 1982 and have spent the last 30 years developing a deep relationship with each other and God. Pat was never one to back down from a challenge so when the then president offered an early out and management wouldn’t transfer her closer to her home when her office closed, she took that as a challenge to retire and do something different with her life. For the next year and a half she did gardening, interior decorating (her home of course) and even took a Christmas job at Macy’s (for which she still gets an employee discount…SCORE!). Finally in 2001 she took a seasonal job with Lake Perris S.R.A. as a park aid. Pat was a hard worker and to this day holds the record for the most entrance fee money collected in a day; it will probably never be broken. After five seasons, during which she was promoted to Senior Park Aid, she decided a change of scenery was in order so she bought a home in Pahrump, NV. She designed her own landscaping and two years later one of the town’s founding families hired Pat’s landscaper to do his yard similar to Pat’s but Pat refused to tell the landscaper where she got “signature pieces”, saying ”have him come up with his own ideas”! In July of 2009 Pat was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer which had already metastasized to her brain. That began a journey that she has fought with Faith, Strength, Dignity and Courage far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. She is a warrior, one of God’s favorites!

Pat was preceded in death by her father Brannon William “Billy” Murcherson Jr.; his mother Malena and father Brannon Sr.; her brother Lamont “Monty” Murcherson; her stepfather Vernon Dennis; her m;ntor and beloved Grandmother Edna “Nana” Reid and her long time friends Claude “Clyde” and Brenda Finney. She is survived by her husband and soul mate, Floyd Banks; her mother Beverly Dennis; Mother and Father-in-laws Martha Higgins and Willie Banks; sister Valerie Shumake; sons Carl and Tavis Banks; three grandsons Daniel, Dylan and Devin, granddaughter Kennedy, three sisters and two brothers- in-law, Michelle, Yvonne, her husband Reggie; their three children and two grandchildren; and Velma and her husband Damon and their 2 children and grandchild; nephews, Finus “Sonny” III, Robert and Vernon, niece Patricia and a “grip” of great aunt’s, great uncles, great nieces and nephews and second cousins. Her long time friends including Faye and Bruce Garner, Antwine and Cynthia Chevalier, Nadira Belcher who cared for her beautiful locks, James Hampton whom she tormented at every chance, Derrick and Sabrina Simington, Brian and Sherri Musack, David and Sherri Longley and a whole host of family, friends and church family who supported us during this journey.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, May 24, 2012 in the Valley View Chapel at Montecito Mortuary in Colton, California. A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. also in the Valley View Chapel at Montecito Mortuary. Burial will take place on Saturday, May 26, 2012 at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.