Patricia Thurber Zebal, age 90, of Fairhaven, Sykesville, Maryland, and formerly of Laguna Woods, California, died Sunday, November 1, 2009, at the Fairhaven Health Care Center.  Born September 27, 1919, in Springfield, Illinois, she was the daughter of the late Walter Denison and Ruth Agnew Thurber.  She was predeceased by her husband, George Patterson Zebal.

Patricia worked as a public relations administrator and was active in the business and service communities of the Newport Beach area.  She was elected Woman of the Year by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce in 1964.  In 1966, she was chosen Citizen of the Year for Orange County.  She was a former president of the Women's Division of the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the Zonta Club of Newport Harbor.

She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Bradley Howard and Sandra Pach Zebal of Westminster, Maryland, Ronald Thurber and Socorro Olea Zebal of Williamsburg, Virginia; and five grandsons.

The Orange County Register, November 5, 2009