Patricia L. Dombrink
Patricia Louise Dombrink left our world unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon, October 28, 2020. Although ill since the imposition of the shelter- in- place on March 17, her time came too quick.
Pat was born on April 7, 1942, at Summit Medical Center, the second daughter of Mary and Henry Dombrink, Jr. She grew up in Oakland, attending St. Elizabeth Elementary School and High School and Holy Names College. After teaching in the San Lorenzo School District for several years, she received her Master’s Degree from Boston University having studied reading under Donald Durrell. From there she launched her international teaching career with the Department of Defense school system, teaching one year at Keflavik Air Base in Iceland as a reading specialist, one year at Aschaffenburg, Germany, and then to Izmir Turkey for two years, where she met her future husband, Jeff Green.
In addition to her full- time work as a teacher and mother to two children, Pat found time to follow her passion for writing. She wrote newspaper articles and book reviews and published over 200 puzzles and games for young children. Her articles appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Christian Science Monitor and other national and local publications.
As a parent, Pat took great delight in her children’s word- and writing- related achievements. Under her guidance Christopher twice won the area spelling bee championship and went to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D. C. Meghan inherited her mother’s passion for international travel, teaching and writing and spent a year as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Cyprus and now serves as the editor of Highlights’ High Five and Highlights’ Hello! magazines.
Pat was renown for her interest in and devotion to books. You could never go wrong giving Pat a book for a birthday. The first thing she did: open the book and press her face in it to take in its scent.
Pat loved to travel: from the San Juan Islands to the East Coast of Canada’s Maritime provinces; from the frozen reaches of Iceland to the sunny beaches of Turkey. She also loved sharing stories about the people she met and places she explored. Pat and Jeff were fortunate to revisit Turkey and Iceland many times in the past several years.
Pat found joy in connecting with former colleagues in the teaching honorary, Delta Kappa Gamma, and meeting with the faith group, “Women in God’s Spirit” ( WINGS) of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church. A long- time parishioner of Corpus Christi Church in Piedmont, Pat loved worshipping in a church where her father had made the stained- glass windows.
Pat is survived by her husband, Jeff, son Christopher ( Meredith) and children, Sean and Iris; daughter Meghan ( Kyle) and her daughter, Fiona. She is also survived by her dear sisters Mary Ann Dombrink-Kurtzman, Chicago; and Kathleen Dombrink, St. Louis; and brother John ( Maya) of Laguna Beach.
Visitation will be held Thursday evening, Nov. 19, 5: 00- 7: 00 p. m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland ( vigil service at 6: 00 p. m.) and services will be Friday morning, Nov. 20 at 11: 00 a. m. at Corpus Christi Church, 322 St. James Drive, Piedmont. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery.