Patricia J. Connell Zober – California, Pa.
There was so much life that Patricia deeply loved, her husband, George and sons, George, Gene and James and her teaching. During her 45 years of teaching physics and advanced placement physics at Ringgold High School she also served as an advanced physics consultant for the college board. As a consultant, she spent many of her weekends and weeks during the summer teaching at a number of different colleges and universities teaching high school teachers how to do AP physics. Her love of her work was so profound, Patricia managed to find the time to co-author four physics textbooks and a physics laboratory manual with her husband. The books are in classroom use nationally and internationally. Patricia’s joy of every new day extended beyond the classroom to her grandchildren: Kyle, a media consultant; Amanda, a nurse; Allison, an elementary teacher; Kelsey, a teacher of preschool children; and Wolfgang, a physicist, who finds time to teach a little physics. Pat had a deep affection for her home and her Siamese cats, Vinny and Lenny. From early spring to late fall, there was the yard work she managed to do and to supervise. After breakfast each morning, without fail, Patricia would go over her menu for lunch and dinner. At times realizing the size of the meals she planned, Pat would call sister-in-law, Diane and ask her to share in the food. She loved to cook. Every evening without fail, Pat would check her emails and several times a week she would call San Francisco and talk with her sister, Margaret and brother-in-law, Hosam. Now with her day finished, Patricia would walk down the hall to the sunroom, turn on a reading light, turn the TV off, and sit and begin reading the latest novel or piece of science fiction. Good night Pat.
