Patricia Joan Hofstetter

Judge Patricia Joan Hofstetter was born in Burbank, California on August 25, 1927, to parents Helen Culbertson and Lenord Orin Hofstetter, spending her early years living in the Southern California towns of Artesia and Whittier. She passed peacefully at her home in Ferndale on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, with her dearest friend, Sally Tanner, by her side. Pat graduated from Whittier High School in 1943, Monmouth College, IL in 1948 and Boalt Hall Law School at the University of California, Berkeley in 1951. After beginning work as a lawyer for Rosiland Bates in Los Angeles, Pat opened a law office with sister Marilynn in 1953. She was later appointed serve as judge at Whittier Municipal in 1963, where she served until 1988. During that time, she was selected by her peers as the first woman to serve as President of the California Judge's Association in 1976. Pat was a life member of Soroptimist International and and the American Association of University Women. She was an active member of the Democratic party and served on the College Board at Monmouth College, where she was later inducted into the Hall fame. Among her favorite hobbies was fishing the rivers and lakes of California and Oregon. In both 2001 and 2002, Pat and Sally were winners in the in the California-Oregon Fishing Derby. For a period of time, Pat enjoyed the game of golf, but in later years used her leisure time playing poker and bridge with friends. She also had a great appreciation for music and movies. Pat is survived by her lifelong friend and partner, Sally Tanner, her sister Helen Raphael and niece Rose Anne of New Liberia, Louisiana, sister Marilynn Hofstetter of Ferndale and nephew John Raphael and wife Christine, along with their children Melanie and Kathleen. For Pat and her closest friends, Tuesdays were Poker Day for the gang. Fittingly, therefore, services for her memorial are scheduled for 2 PM, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at Gobles Mortuary in Fortuna, with a reception following in the social hall at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Shaw Ave, Ferndale, California.

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