OBITUARY Aletha Ann Patchen November 19, 1928 – November 11, 2018 Aletha Ann Patchen, age 89, of Poway, California passed away on Sunday November 11, 2018. Aletha was born November 19, 1928 in Pasadena, California to Clifton and Sylvia Mabie and was married to Marvin H. Patchen. Aletha had a love for life and adventure!
She was the first woman to cross the finish-line and win the Baja 1,000 and Baja 500 races. She loved hiking. Aletha had friends from throughout the world whom she took them on hiking safaris in the Bad Lands of Anza-Borrego and Baja.
Aletha was a volunteer at San Diego Natural History Museum at Balboa Park, and a Volunteer Park Ranger at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Aletha was a mandolin player and played with the San Diego Mandolin Orchestra for over 25 years. Aletha and her husband were both Baja enthusiast and she helped her husband designe a 4-wheel drive camper that they used for off road camping in Baja, California.
Together they co-authored 2 books about Baja. June 1, 1980 they published Baja Adventures by Land, Sea and Air and October 31, 2002 they published Baja Outpost: The Guest Book from Patchen’s Cabin. When Aletha was not hiking or camping, you would find her with family and friends playing board games.
Her all-time favorite was Rummikub. She was eager to take on all challengers who dared play with her. Aletha is survived by her daughter Kate Griffith (Chad), a son Mike Patchen (Jill), granddaughter Andrea Levine, and a grandson Michael Patchen.
She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. A celebration of life for Aletha will be held Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 1:00 PM at Canebrake Community Center “Downtown Canebrake”, 140 Smoketree Lane, Julian, CA 92036. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.
dignitymemorial.com for the Patchen family.
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