Joan (Patti) Rucker, 74, passed peacefully away on May 9, 2008, from Lewy Body Dementia. She was born in Enid, Oklahoma on March 17, 1934. She moved with her family the next year to Southern California. Patti attended grade school and high school in South Pasadena. She attended Pasadena City College where she met her husband Frank. They were married four years later at Saint Felicitas Perpetua Church on February 4, 1956.

Patti is survived by her husband Frank; daughters Cherylynn, Marlena, and Leighann; son-in-law Colonel Richard Schoonmaker; two grandchildren Caitlin and Jake; brother Jim Caldwell (SPHS '51); and six nieces and nephews. A loving wife for 51 years, her greatest joy was her grandchildren. She was a Girl Scout leader for 10 years at Most Holy Trinity Parish on Phoenix, Arizona. She then worked as a preschool teacher for Maryland School for 8 years. She enjoyed golf, traveling, and her family. Patti was a wonderful and loving wife who recently celebrated 51 years of marriage. 

The Arizona Republic, May 18, 2008