Alys Patricia Cushing

SUN CITY - Alys Patricia (Pat) Cushing died on Dec. 16, 2016, after a brief illness with her daughter, Terri, by her side. Pat was born on Dec. 10, 1931, in Omaha, Neb., to Harvey and Florentine Gilbert. Pat excelled in women's basketball. As a Iowa high schooler, she received Honorable Mention All-State and in college, she played for St. Mary's (Notre Dame) as a freshman. She was also recruited by the Omaha Red Heads professional women's basketball team. She remained an enthusiastic sports fan throughout her life, cheering on her beloved Iowa Hawks until the week she passed away. She graduated from the University of Alabama in 1952 and it was in early childhood education that Pat left her professional mark. She was a pioneer in the field in the state of Iowa. She founded and served as director of the Jack & Jill Nursery School in Iowa City for 38 years. The school's last location has the distinction of being the first facility in the state specifically designed for child care. Pat had an outgoing, all-embracing personality that instantly put people at ease. She had a contagious sense of humor, that made everyone-including Pat herself-laugh. People naturally gravitated towards her and she left everyone feeling as if they had known her all their lives. Pat loved animals. One never knew what type of animal would be there to greet them upon entering her house. In addition to treasured cats and dogs, raccoons, rabbits, birds, and squirrels were welcome residents in her home. Chief among the animal family members were a cat named Fluffy Ruffles and a squirrel named Harvey. She is survived by the cat, Laci. Sports, animals, and children remained Pat's great loves throughout her life-- in addition to shopping and socializing. Her greatest love, however, was her family. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Douglas Cushing; and her second husband, Don Walde. Survivors include brother, John Gilbert (Sun City); children, Doug Cushing (Washington, D.C.), Terri VeDepo (Bob) (Ingram, Texas), and John Cushing (Beth) (Clearwater, Fla.); grandchildren, Cody VeDepo (Chelsey) (Houston, Texas), Jesse VeDepo (Ingram, Texas), and Matthew Cushing (Manassas, Va.); and three great-grandchildren. A memorial celebration of Pat Cushing's life will be held at her home in Sun City, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 from 3 until 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests that contributions in Pat's memory be made to Sun City Early Birds Lions, P.O. Box 1446, Sun City, AZ 85372.