Obituary: Patricia Melinda Goslin

Patricia Melinda Goslin

Patricia Melinda Goslin passed from this life on May 24, 2011 at home in the arms of her loving family. She was born in 1931 in Iowa City, Iowa. She and her sister, Joan McDonnell, travelled with their parents to California during the Great Depression. From these humble beginnings, Patt determined to better her lot in life.

She began her career as a stewardess for Western Airlines back when passenger planes were tail-draggers and stewardesses were required to be beautiful and single. Her humor and self-confidence soon won the attention of a pilot named John Goslin, thus ending her singleness and career as a stewardess. Together they raised two daughters, Joan (Dotson) and Jean (Creasey.)

As the consummate homemaker and mother, she prided herself on making school lunches, keeping uniforms spotless and being at home when her girls arrived from school.

Patt believed in giving back to her community. In the 1960's she served as president of a chapter of the Children's Home Society, which included mentoring unwed mothers. She was a Campfire Girls Leader and a member of the St. Nicholas School Board.

In the 1970's in Los Altos Hills, CA when St. Nicholas Grammar School was in desperate need of a P.E. teacher, Patt, who had never played sports, stepped up to the plate and filled the position for free. Since she hated to sweat or get her hair messed up, this was quite shocking. However, she read books on athletics, bought a whistle and taught grades 1-8 P.E. This culminated in her taking the upper grade girls' basketball, softball and volleyball teams to championship levels.

In the late 1970's, recently divorced, Patt met Albert Lane while they were both in real estate school. He was captain of a ship that carried jet fuel to U.S. military ports all over the world. Albert was her loving companion to her final days.

In the early 1980's , after moving to Carson City, she worked for the fledgling law practice of John Lambrose and Michael Powell for free to gain legal training. She eventually attained a secretarial position in the Carson City District Attorney's Office, retiring in 2002. While in their employ, Patt adopted a no-nonsense approach to giving advice to women who wanted to drop charges against abusers and to mothers calling on behalf of their adult sons. Thus at times she was forced to adopt the alias of "Mrs. Schwartz" when some threatened to complain to Patt's superiors about her unsolicited opinions.

After retirement, she spent over a year living in San Francisco caring for her youngest grand daughter, Annie, while her daughter Jean attended dental school. She courageously negotiated the city's steep hills and patiently taught Annie not to point and stare at unusual looking people with multiple body piercings and tattoos.

She returned to Carson City and has lived with her sister (Aunt Jo) and Chewey , the (nurse) dog, until her death.

We are grateful to Patt for her generosity, great sense of humor and inconditional love for family.

She is survived by Albert Lane, Joan McDonnell, Joan Dotson (Tom), Jean Creasey (Craig), Corey Creasey (Aya), Mary Creasey (Ian), Claudine Steger (David), Annie Creasey and nieces Darcie Regall, Laura Fitzsimmons and Allison Joffee.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Saint Mary's Hospice of Northern Nevada, 429 Elm Street, Reno, Nevada 89503; 775-770-3081.