Patti L. Donlon

Patti L. Donlon passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family and friends on the morning of Sunday August 17th 2025, after a prolonged illness.

Patti was born in the small town of Monona, in Northeast Iowa, on September 23rd, 1939. Patti’s early years were spent in a much smaller town, which she called a village, Froelich Iowa. In Froelich, her grandparents owned and operated their namesake Burlingame General Store, which is now a museum.

Patti was the oldest of four children; a brother three years younger, a sister around 10 years younger and another sister around 20 years younger. During her early years she was able to develop a strong sense of family as all of her other relatives; aunts, uncles and cousins were located within a 50 mile radius of Froelich. Her family lived in the upstairs quarters of the General Store and the merchandise arrived and was sold on the ground floor. Many goods were delivered by train which ran adjacent right next to the side of the store. Her parents both worked outside the home and store, thus Patti became extremely close to her grandparents.

It was around this time that Patti developed a love for music, especially opera that was continuously played by her grandmother upstairs every morning and whenever she was not working in the store below. Patti spent eleven years living at the store and during this time friends were few in the village. Although she developed friendships with children in nearby towns, spending time by herself led to a strong sense of independence, which was always been an important part of her life.

Patti spent her teenage years in Marquette Iowa, a town on the Mississippi River where her parents relocated. Both of her parents taught at the local high school and in high school her love for music continued as she studied flute and became an accomplish pianist. She was also in the school band, chorus, and school performances. Her father not only taught at the high school but he also coached many sports and was primarily known for his championship high school girls basketball teams. Patti was a coaches daughter and did not disappoint on the court as she was a member of her high schools’ all-state basketball team her junior and senior year, playing for her father.

After graduating from high school, she left home for Dubuque Iowa where she attended Clarke College, an all women’s Catholic college. Here her love for music continued as she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. At Clarke she was also involved in student government. She was Secretary in student government her sophomore year and was junior class President and then Senior Student Body President. In her senior year she won the Mary Francis Clarke Award, which is the highest award given by the College to a graduating senior.

After Clarke College she enrolled in the University of Iowa in Iowa City where she became interested in mental health and counseling. When she was growing up in small towns there weren’t any recourses for people with personal or family problems. She saw this as an opportunity for her to break some ground in this field. Working women had always been role models for her during a time when most women worked in the home. When she was young her father would tell her “Patti, don’t let anybody tell you that you cannot do something because you are a woman.” Those words, coupled with her interest in mental health and her independent mindset fostered as a child propelled her into counseling, therapy and mental health, which would become the professional cornerstone of her life. She finished her days of study at the University of Iowa with a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling, graduating with Cum Laude Honors. Around this time, she also became a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Patti then entered the workforce and held several jobs in the mental health field. During her early work years, people who had mental health issues where often put into asylums instead of treatment. The terminology of the day for the mental health discipline can be reflected by the nomenclature defining her work. She held a number of jobs in the field of mental health, rehabilitation, and vocational counseling. This work included counseling for the physically handicapped and emotionally disturbed as well as rehabilitation counseling in a tuberculosis sanitarium. Words which were the diagnostic terminology of the time period.

Later, upon moving to Michigan, she held other positions including counseling psychiatric and neurological in- and out-patients in a mental health training facility for Wayne State University. She also was the Director of Counseling at Grosse Point Michigan high school.

After moving to Davis in 1970, she became a counselor in the Yolo County Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Program. Also, in the early 1970’s she became a volunteer at the Mental Health Association of Yolo County. This all led to her becoming the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Yolo County in 1978, a position she held for around 10 years, in which she oversaw 500+ volunteers. After retiring from the Mental Health Association, she did not want to fully stop working, so she became the office manager in her husband Patrick’s psychiatric practice in 1992, where she worked until Patrick retired at the end of 2007 due to a cancer prognosis.

Personal Life

Besides an extensive career in mental health, Patti made significant time available for her family and numerous hobbies and recreational activities. While pursuing her Master’s Degree at the University of Iowa she was introduced to the aforementioned Patrick Donlon, a medical student, who became her future husband. Coincidently, Patrick was also in the mental health field, eventually becoming a psychiatrist. During her time at Wayne State and Grosse Pointe Michigan, Patti and Patrick welcomed their son Sean in 1968.

In Davis, Patti became involved in various group social activities such as a neighborhood Bridge Club and a Gourmet Group. She also started taking up numerous hobbies and physical activities, many in her 30’s and 40’s. To name a few; besides the typical swimming, biking and jogging, she learned English Style horseback riding, skiing, Scuba diving, and surfing. Outside of physical activities she studied Spanish at the Monterey Language Institute, became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), avid traveler, reader and continued her lover and support for music and the arts.

A notable passion she was known for is the ‘RC Room’ in the family home. The RC Room initially started with promotional Royal Crown Cola (which became later known as RC Cola) items from her grandparents general store, but then became a passion for her as she would comb antique stores and flea markets for RC items. Coca-Cola items were always much more in demand by collectors, and more valuable but Royal Crown Cola items were tougher to come by and allowed her to relive her early childhood at her grandparents store. Over the years her collection grew larger and all of the items are now in one room in the family home, which coincidently is aptly referred to as the RC Room.

Another strong area of interest she became proud of and passionate about was learning and speaking Spanish. In California speaking Spanish is not unique, but coming from a small village in Iowa it is. After studying and learning Spanish, the ‘Spanish Group’ was formed. Initially consisting of a few people but then evolved into a group, whose nucleus lasted for 30 years, meeting every Tuesday at her family home. The group only stopped meeting at the house when Patti’s health started to fail. In Patti’s memory the group is still convening, but now at an ‘undisclosed’ location.

Given Patti’s lifelong love and passion for music, she was often seen in the audience at countless, symphonies, musical theater venues, plays, recitals, and about anything related to music and the arts. Her passion was opera, and as when she was growing up listening to her grandmother play opera, she now had opera playing in her home every day. Her love for music was heightened with the advent of the Mondavi Center in Davis. This state of the art performance center was only a few minutes’ drive away. She began by going to numerous performances every year, then became a sponsor of some of the performances and later served on the Mondavi Advisory Board. She loved everything about the Mondavi Center and only stopped involvement when her health would not allow her to continue to attend performances and meetings. Her love for music stayed strong even in the last few years of her life as she started taking private violin lessons when in her 80’s.

Besides music, she never lost her love of sports and was an ardent UCD football fan. This love of UCD football began with becoming a season ticket holder in 1975 with her husband Patrick and friends. She held season tickets every year until her passing, a long streak which her son will continue to keep alive. She was also a big fan of NFL football and had many Super Bowl parties at her house. Such a fan that if at the parties attendees were talking and not watching the game she would tell them to go into another room to talk.

Although Patti said she accomplished almost everything she wanted to in her life, she never really talked about any personal endeavors or successes. She was most proud of the friendships she gained along the way. People who knew her well recognized this every day. Patti was primarily focused on community over self and giving to others rather than being given to. She shied away from accolades and instead focused on the individuals who were involved along the way. In a rare write-up about her life, in the Davis Enterprise in 1986, when asked how she would like to be remembered she was quoted “Someday, if people remember me in some way, I hope it would be with a smile on my face. It’s always been important to me that if I have wrinkles on my face, they be around my eyes, from smiling.”

Given this humble demeanor, she requested to not have a formal memorial or funeral; she said “Although I will not be physically there now, people are always welcome in our home”.

Patti was preceded in death by her husband Patrick, parents and brother. She is survived by her son, two younger sisters, many nieces and nephews, and hundreds of loyal friends.

Those wishing to sign an online remembrance Guest Book can do so here on the Smith Funeral Home website (smith-funerals.com).

For those who may wish to make a donation in Patti’s memory:

The Burlingame General Store, Froelich Iowa (Froelich Foundation). Patti’s childhood home, which is located on the site of the Froelich tractor Museum. Please mention that Patti was the granddaughter of the Burlingame’s, but they will know.

In Davis, any donation in Patti’s memory may be made to the Mondavi Center, which became a major part of her life and almost a second home.

Sports enthusiasts may consider UC Davis Football.

But above all, the most cherished gifts are the memories Patti shared with all of you during her long, adventurous and wonderful life.

Godspeed Patti, here’s to your next adventure.

Froelich Tractor & 1890s Village Museum (Froelich Foundation, Non-Profit)

www.froelichtractor.com

Home to John Froehlich’s invention of the first gasoline tractor to propel itself forward & back in 1892. This became the forerunner to the John Deere Tractor Company.

Mondavi Center

University of California, Davis

One Shields Avenue

Davis, CA 95616

(530) 754-2337

www.mondaviarts.org

UC Davis Men’s Football Development Fund:  https://give.ucdavis.edu