She moved to Lincoln, NE, to work as a school nurse at Union College. It was there she met James McArthur, and they married in 1965. They were married 29 years, and had three children together: Trevor, Jeffrey, and Mary. They divorced in 1994.
Highlights during her nursing career included working with the Red Cross – responding to disasters in Nebraska and Kansas; and later, serving as a public health nurse for San Bernardino County (CA).
She adored music her entire life. She studied piano and voice and learned mandolin from her father. She sang in both the Unionaires at Union College, and then in the choir at Loma Linda University Church. She made sure her children took music lessons as well, and she even provided a few free piano lessons among neighborhood friends.
She lived for many years in Lincoln, NE, where she raised her three children. She also lived for a time in Loma Linda, CA. She had been living in Burbank, CA, with her son Jeff and daughter-in-law Jamie Ball over the last year.
She passed away at age 83, on Friday, December 6, 2024. She is survived by her son Trevor and wife Catherine; son Jeff and wife Jamie; daughter Mary; five grandchildren (Ziyal, Xavier, Malachi, Inara, and Julia); and her brothers Marvin, Weldon, and Tim Ponder and their families. She is also fondly remembered by the innumerable friends of her children, who also called her “Mom,” and who knew they would always be offered a cold Pepsi on arrival.
Services will be held in Lincoln, NE: the viewing will be Thursday, January 2, 5-7pm at Roper & Sons Mortuary Midtown Chapel (4300 O St.).
Memorial service will be held at College View Church (4801 Prescott Ave.) on Friday, January 3, at 10am.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Patsy’s memory to one of the following organizations important to her: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the American Red Cross, or the ACLU.