Brandon Solarez
Pat Townsend died peacefully at her home in Tucson on January 12, 2022, following a long battle with brain cancer. She was born Patricia Clara Hokanson on November 8, 1951, in Two Harbors, Minnesota, and grew up with two sisters on a farm north of the town. Her parents were Alden Hokanson, a telephone lineman, and Margaret (Mallory) Hokanson, a schoolteacher.
Pat was active in band and choir at Two Harbors High School. She graduated from Bemidji State University in 1974 and was hired by Control Data Corporation, a manufacturer of mainframe computers. After a period of training in Minnesota she transferred to CDC's software center in Sunnyvale, California, where she met Gregg Townsend. They married in 1977 and moved to Tucson, which remained their home for the next forty-five years.
In Tucson, Pat worked in the computing field until the birth of twin sons in 1983. After a break she taught high school math and earned a master's degree from the University of Arizona. She joined the mathematics faculty of Pima Community College and taught there until retiring at the end of 2013. She will be remembered fondly by the many students whose lives she influenced.
As her sons grew, she watched them compete in archery and soccer. In summers they vacationed in Minnesota, sometimes traveling via the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
In retirement, Pat took several hiking trips to the Grand Canyon as well as to Scotland and to the Patagonia region of South America. She also visited Ireland and traveled to London with her sons for a pair of NFL football games featuring the Arizona Cardinals in one and the Minnesota Vikings in the other. She was an avid soccer fan and an accomplished quilter whose handiwork was lovingly appreciated by friends and family alike.
In April of 2019 Pat was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Surgery, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy retarded the cancer; her initial strength and robust fitness helped her survive long enough to welcome three new grandchildren.
Pat is survived by her husband, Gregg; son Benjamin and his partner Tiffany; son Steven and his wife Brie; grandchildren Austin, Sloane, and Cameron; sisters Pam Jensen and Cindy Maher; and several nieces and great-nieces. Services are to be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to any charity that helps people in need.
Pat was active in band and choir at Two Harbors High School. She graduated from Bemidji State University in 1974 and was hired by Control Data Corporation, a manufacturer of mainframe computers. After a period of training in Minnesota she transferred to CDC's software center in Sunnyvale, California, where she met Gregg Townsend. They married in 1977 and moved to Tucson, which remained their home for the next forty-five years.
In Tucson, Pat worked in the computing field until the birth of twin sons in 1983. After a break she taught high school math and earned a master's degree from the University of Arizona. She joined the mathematics faculty of Pima Community College and taught there until retiring at the end of 2013. She will be remembered fondly by the many students whose lives she influenced.
As her sons grew, she watched them compete in archery and soccer. In summers they vacationed in Minnesota, sometimes traveling via the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
In retirement, Pat took several hiking trips to the Grand Canyon as well as to Scotland and to the Patagonia region of South America. She also visited Ireland and traveled to London with her sons for a pair of NFL football games featuring the Arizona Cardinals in one and the Minnesota Vikings in the other. She was an avid soccer fan and an accomplished quilter whose handiwork was lovingly appreciated by friends and family alike.
In April of 2019 Pat was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Surgery, radiation treatment, and chemotherapy retarded the cancer; her initial strength and robust fitness helped her survive long enough to welcome three new grandchildren.
Pat is survived by her husband, Gregg; son Benjamin and his partner Tiffany; son Steven and his wife Brie; grandchildren Austin, Sloane, and Cameron; sisters Pam Jensen and Cindy Maher; and several nieces and great-nieces. Services are to be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to any charity that helps people in need.
