Mary Patricia (Pat) Lynch Derby passed away in January 2022 at the age of 88.
Pat was born in San Francisco, CA in 1933. She was the daughter of Angela and Eugene Lynch and grew up in San Francisco’s Mission District.
She met Paul Derby when they both worked at Crocker Bank in downtown San Francisco. They married in 1953, moved to San Leandro, and had six children. When her sixth child started sixth grade, Pat continued her college education. Before marriage she attended Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. When she returned to school she received her AA from Chabot College, and her BA and MA from San Francisco State University (which her mother had attended when it was a teacher’s college.) She also attended University of California, Berkeley, where she received her teaching credential.
Pat published four young adult books, some of which received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal. Her first book was deemed an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and one book was nominated for the Caldecott award. While writing her books, she taught English for many years at Chabot College.
She was the first woman Lector at Saint Leander’s Catholic Church.
She enjoyed reading, sewing, her dogs, traveling, attending lectures, providing readings at Sunday mass, and spending time with family. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her creativity, her intellectual curiosity, her strong Catholic faith, and her love of family.
She is survived by her loving children: Moira, Kathy, Jan, George, and Owen; her sons-in-law Paul, Gary, and Billy; her daughters-in-law Shelby and Yvonne; her grandchildren Ryan, Jeff, Megan, Kate, and Brittany, and their spouses Kristina, Nick, and Brandon; her great-grandchildren Landon, Emma, Jude, and Jameson; her brother Thomas and his wife Beverly, her sister Gini; and her nieces and nephews Marianne, Eugene Jr., Michael, John, Sharon, Jennifer, Cynthia, and Melissa.
She was predeceased by her husband Paul, her son Brian, her brother Eugene and his wife Jeanne, and her brother-in-law Thomas.
Pat’s funeral mass will be held at a future date.
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