STRATTON, Patricia Frances (Pat)

Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow, Winslow, Arizona Patricia Frances Black Stratton July 26, 1919 - March 16, 2014 Our Dear Mother, Patricia Frances Black Stratton passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2014 at age 94. Pat was born on July 26, 1919. She and her husband Cliff raised their family in Winslow, Arizona. As a child she enjoyed rabbit hunting with her father in Holbrook, and camping, fishing, hiking and hunting at Greer. She and her friends frequently walked the 7 miles to swim at Clear Creek and dive off of the old bridge. She and her sister, Betty, did exhibition dancing for the local clubs. At Winslow Junior High and High School, she was the Cheerleader. At the Women’s State Track Meet in Flagstaff, she took Third Place in the Overall Category, and won several individual awards. At the Los Angeles City School, CA, she enjoyed synchronized swimming and was a starter on the Hockey Team. At the University of Arizona she won several medals in competitive swimming and diving events in preparation for the Olympics. She met Charles Lindbergh in Winslow, who inspired her to earn her Pilot’s License. At only 19 years of age, she was one of the youngest, female, Pilots in Arizona. A picture of her and her plane, commemorating this accomplishment, is on display in the Winslow Airport. She met Clifford Stratton at a dance at the American Legion Hall in Winslow. She was so impressed with Cliff that she cancelled her full dance card and danced with him all evening. A few months later, on July 28, 1941 they were married. Her father, Elmer Black, served on the Winslow City Council for 18 years and a term as Mayor. Her mother, Margaret Treat Black, owned a prominent Women’s Dress Shop. So, Pat and Cliff’s Engagement Tea and Marriage were major social events in Winslow. Pat and Cliff were active in their church. They were sealed for ‘Eternity’ in the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 1, 1959. Pat particularly enjoyed her service on the Stake Primary Board and later working with the Young Adults attending Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, when her children attended there. They served among the Lamanites on the Reservations for many years. After their retirement, Pat and Cliff served a Senior Mission to the Montana Billings Mission (Feb 28, 1980 – July 28, 1981). Cliff then served as Bishop of the Winslow Third Ward for several years. Finally, they served two Senior Missions to the Mesa Arizona Temple. Genealogy and Temple work were always a priority in Pat’s life. Pat is preceded in death by her husband Clifford Stratton, her sister Betty (Margaret Elizabeth Black Parks), and grandson Jacob I. Openshaw. She is survived by her children, Carole Ann Stratton Openshaw (Robert Openshaw); Clifford James Stratton (Marsha Romney); Margaret Emma Stratton Dana Jorgenson (Gerald W. Dana, deceased; Sherrell C. Jorgenson); and Charles Elmer Stratton (Peggy S. Watts, Jana L. Christopherson); 22 grandchildren; and 45 great-grandchildren. Services honoring Pat’s remarkable life of compassion and service will be held at the L.D.S. Church in Winslow, 1501 N. Kinsley Ave., on Saturday, March 29, 2014, at 12:00 pm. Greeting and visitation for one hour before the service. A more complete account of Cliff and Pat’s life together and of Pat’s nine generations of Arizona ancestry is in Early Tucson: The History and Genealogy of Atanacia Santa Cruz Bojorques Hughes, Amazon.com.