Patricia Ruth Rucker

Patricia Ruth Rucker passed away peacefully at home on May 5, 2016, with her family by her side.Patricia was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on August 21, 1928.  She and her sister Donna Lewis were adopted by their aunt and uncle, Leneva and Isaac Foster and moved to San Diego in 1933. 

Pat Foster attended school in Coronado and La Jolla, graduating from La Jolla High School in 1945.  She attended San Diego City College, where she met Donald Rucker; they married and had three children.  Don became a fire fighter; he passed away in 1981.  She worked in furniture cushion construction at Earl R. King Company at 14th & Market Streets in the mid-1950s.  Pat was well known for her volunteer activities throughout her children’s school years at Emerson Elementary, Memorial Junior High, and Lincoln High—one school year she was PTA president at 3 schools at the same time.  She was instrumental in navigating the impact of social change in the 1960s and 70s on the schools. 

She was especially highly regarded for being an accomplished seamstress, having made school clothes, prom dresses, Halloween costumes, wedding dresses, and fashion show garments for her extended family, friends, and community. She was a continuous poll worker for the Registrar of Voters from the 1950s through the 1990s, for many years conducting the polls in her home.  Pat was employed by Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in the Medical Records Department for 20 years, beginning as the number control clerk and retiring as a certified hospital diagnosis coder. 

Pat had many titles:  Mom, PR, Miss Pat, Gramma, Aunt Pat.  She enjoyed reading, crossword puzzles, family parties and picnics, sewing, and being with her children and their many friends.  She will be missed by all who enjoyed her sense of humor, appreciation of style and fashion, her intelligence, and her ability and commitment to a job well done.  

Patricia is survived by her daughters Doree and Leslye Rucker of San Diego and son Darryl Rucker and daughter-in-law Ingrid of San Francisco; grandson Erik Anderson of San Diego and granddaughter Ashleigh Rucker of Los Angeles; sister Carolyn D. Griffith of Omaha; and cousin Waltyn Bolden of San Diego.  She also leaves many nieces and nephews and cousins who were a big part of her life and comfort.