Patricia J Cala
Patricia (Pat) Cala, 82, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of March 20 following a brief battle with cancer.
Pat was born and raised in San Francisco to Virginia and Gene Murphy, a Captain with SFFD. She attended St. Emydius Catholic School, was a member of the Mercy High School pioneer class of 1956 where she develop a life-long affinity for reading, and attended Lone Mountain College. Pat had great pride in her San Francisco upbringing and would never tire of telling stories or giving tours of her old neighborhoods. In addition, her San Francisco roots were always on display during baseball season as she followed the Giants with great enthusiasm.
In 1959, she married Joseph C Cala, Jr—a marriage that was to last for nearly forty years until his death in 1999. Together they had five children and she spent much of the next 25 years sewing clothes for her children, attending school activities, and scorekeeping, coaching or watching youth sporting events.
After her children were raised, she resumed her education and ultimately graduated from the College of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts and from Golden Gate University with a Master of Science in Taxation. She spent more than 30 years as an accounting and tax specialist.
In her retirement, she moved to Lake Tahoe where she was active in several bridge clubs, served as treasurer for her homeowner association, learned to play golf, and loved to spend the late afternoon at the Dollar Point Beach where she would read and go for a swim in the chilly waters of the lake that she loved.
Nothing brought her greater pleasure than hosting her children and grandchildren at her home. For most of the summer and through the winter holidays, she would enjoy the energy and activity of her family. All of which was captured and catalogued in the photo albums that she maintained throughout her life. Like Pat’s friends and family, her grandchildren thought the world of her and used expressions like role model, blessing, source of love, inspiration, courageous, fun, and faith to describe her. Pat was the heart and soul of our family. We will miss her dearly but she will live on amongst us in many family traditions and always in our hearts.
Pat is predeceased by her husband, Joe Cala. She is survived by her five children and their spouses: John and Susan Cala of Palo Alto, Bruce Cala and Dawn Longmore of Redwood City, Denise and Greg Roux of Foster City, Lisa and Bill McClure of Folsom, and Jim Cala of San Mateo. She is survived by eight grandchildren whose pictures adorn her home: Brianna, Dominic, Jennifer, Will, Kyle, Garrett, Joshua, and Sarah. She is also survived by her brothers John, Michael, and Vincent Murphy, their spouses, and ten nieces and nephews.
A Catholic memorial mass will be celebrated in Pat’s honor in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Cancer Society or Hospice.