Patricia Mackey

Patricia Mackey passed away August 10, 2021 at age 95 in Concord CA after a short illness.

Born September 13, 1925 in Newark NJ, she and her brother Richard Briggs shared their childhood with several Irish Setters and spent summers with their aunt and uncle in New Hampshire.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 41 years, Doug Mackey, her parents John and Lola Briggs-Reinhardt, her brother Richard J. Briggs and his wife Mildred Briggs, and her nephew, Gene C. Briggs.

Surviving family include her nephew and nieces Richard J. Briggs Jr. and his wife Judy of NJ, Sheila BriggsSteuteville and her husband Bill of PA, Gina Briggs of NJ, great nieces and nephews Rick, Judy, and Josh Briggs, Billy and Jamie Steuteville, Gigi and Ali Briggs.

She was known by the family as Aunt Pat and signed all her correspondence as AP. She loved Artie Shaw’s Frenesi, especially Frank Sinatra’s version, and once skipped a day in high school to see him in NYC. She studied at the University of Miami where she joined a sailing club, and got caught in a 1944 hurricane while sailing to Cuba. She was proud of their old sailboat, one made of wood from New England which she always said saved them.

She later moved to California and worked for the San Francisco Chronicle as a copy editor for 20 years, where she met her wonderful husband Doug Mackey in 1962. They dated for two weeks before deciding to get married, then eloped in

Reno NV where she wore I. Magnin and he wore Brooks Brothers. They raised pet tortoises named Malfeasance and Star in the East Bay, taking them to graze in the Mills College campus meadows.

AP and her husband, a master bridge player, enjoyed playing cards and hosted many bridge and poker parties. They loved traveling and visited Morocco, Venice, Europe, Alaska, Mexico, as well as their annual trip to Maui, where they spent two weeks golfing each summer. They loved the moon, and after Doug passed, she often recalled how he kissed her under every full moon.

She loved California and was always up for a road trip, calling herself an explorer scout. She was hopeful and confident about good things happening even after discouragement, saying that one of the best things about life is that it keeps giving you chances to improve.

A special thanks and gratitude to Myrna Dagdag for her kind and compassionate care and Anne Gorman for being a dear friend.

Aunt Pat will be buried beside her loving husband at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno CA.