PATRICIA ECKART

1936 – 2024

Patricia “Pat” Eckart, 87, passed away on Friday, February 23, 2024 at her residence in Bishop, California.

Pat was born December 16, 1936, in Seattle, Washington to Clark and Margaret Eckart. She was the middle child, with older sister Marlene and younger sister Claire. Growing up, Pat lived in Seattle and Edmonds, WA. After graduating from high school, Pat attended Whitman College, in Walla Walla, WA, graduating in 1959. After graduating, Pat lived in the Los Angeles area where she was a junior high school teacher and pursued several interests including downhill skiing, international travel, and windsurfing. Pat moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA in the 1970s where she worked as a substitute teacher, a ski host, and a transliterator. Pat was passionately involved in the community of Mammoth Lakes, serving on several boards and participating in local decision-making. She had many dear friends and was devoted to the cats she adopted over the years.

Pat lived a life of adventure. An avid downhill skier, Pat earned numerous medals from races, but also received her share of injuries. Those injuries didn’t stop her though – she’d heal, then get right back on the slopes. Hiking in the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada was a special love of Pat’s. Even recently, we’d learn that Pat had headed out on a solo backpacking trip without even a tent as she loved sleeping under the stars. World travel was also a huge part of Pat’s life.

She wrote journals about her travels and loved to share her photos. Photos of Pat holding two lion cubs she raised on a trip to Africa in the 1960s made an impression on all who saw them. Pat dreamed of returning to Ethiopia and was able to do so on several occasions’ decades later.

In Ethiopia, she befriended many people including two young men whom she ultimately was able to sponsor in their pursuit of an education. Pat embraced a vibrant life, filled with adventure, deep curiosity, and a boundless enthusiasm for people and nature.

Pat is survived by her sister, Marlene Gloege, of Salem, Oregon, niece Karen Leatherman of Granite Falls, WA, and nephews David Gloege of Salem, OR, Martin Gloege of Denver, CO, and Chris Brouillard of Sacramento, CA, as well as several grandnieces and a grandnephew.

Pat was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Claire Brouillard of Sandpoint, ID. Pat’s life will be celebrated with family and friends when warmer temperatures return to the Sierra Nevada.

Memorial contributions may be made in Pat’s memory to the Sierra Club or Friends of the Inyo.