Patricia Spear Obituary

PATRICIA MATTHEWS SPEAR Longtime Chico resident Patricia Spear, an acclaimed elementary educator, and Chico Unified School District's principal, has died. Mrs. Spear passed away quietly October 1, 2023, surrounded by family, following a short battle with pneumonia. She was 96. A Celebration of Life will be held in January, 2024, on a date to be announced. Patricia, or "Pat" as she was known, was born Sept. 8, 1927, in Salt Lake City to Donald and Frances Matthews. Both parents hailed from New York City, and preceded her in death in 1979 and 1981, respectively. After stints in Southern California and Oakland, the family landed in Chico. Pat was close with her older brothers, Charles Donald "Hogan" Matthews a Chico attorney and George Benjamin "Ben" Matthews a longtime Chico Unified School D istrict administrator. The three attended Notre Dame Catholic School and Chico High School. After her brothers enlisted in the U.S. Marines Corps in 1941, following the Pearl Harbor attack, Pat and her mother, who hosted a fashion program on radio station KHSL and went on to work for Chico insurance giant O.D. Simmons, spent many days huddled over the family radio, listening to news of battles in the Pacific. After high school Pat attended Chico State, where she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority and active in other campus activities. She graduated in 1949 and received her teaching credential from Chico State a year later. In 1951, Pat married Madison "Matt" Spear, a standout halfback and teammate of brother Ben's Chico State Wildcat football team. Matt would also earn his teaching credential and went on to be a high school administrator. The couple left Chico for 15 years, teaching in Sacramento, Tehama, Sutter, and Trinity counties. Their first child, Mary Frances, was born in 1955, followed by their son, Edwin Charles, in 1956. Their third child, Laura Jean, was born in 1958. "I felt like I spent five years with my head in a diaper pail," Pat liked to joke about those years. Their fourth child, Margaret Anne, "Peggy," was born in June 1964. Tragically, Matt was killed in a car accident in August of 1964, and Pat raised her four kids alone, with help from her extended family and her mother-in-law, Jean Spear. Pat moved the family from Weaverville, in Trinity County where they were living, back to her hometown of Chico to be closer to the family. She taught at Chapman and Rosedale elementary schools while obtaining her reading specialist credential and eventually her administrative credential. Pat was hired as principal at Hooker Oak Elementary School in 1977, the first woman elementary principal hired at CUSD. She oversaw both the traditional and the Open-Structured program there until 1982, when she transferred her principalship to Marigold Elementary School. She served at Marigold until 1992, when she was promoted to CUSD's Director of Elementary Education, a position she held until her retirement in 1995. Pat was elected to the Butte County School Board, on which she served until she was 82. Pat often claimed that other than her own children, she loved nothing more than the youngsters she served, both as teacher and principal. Throughout her distinguished career, Pat was active in many professional and social organizations, including Alpha Delta Kappa (Beta Tau), Delta Kappa Gamma (Theta Nu), Chico Unified Management Association, a Committee Chairperson of the California Association of School Administrators and on the Board of Directors of the YMCA. She was also a member of the Chico Unified Teachers' Association, the Soroptimist Club, the League of Women Voters, PEO, and Phi Delta Kappa. Personally, she belonged to her beloved bridge group for 50 years and spent many social hours with her fellow retired women administrators. Despite her active professional career, Pat's main passion was her family, and she was an active participant in her children and grandchildren's lives. She was a frequent presence at their soccer games, swimming meets and even in their classrooms. She rarely missed a birthday party or major life event, even after Pat was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2019. Pat was residing at Amber Grove Memory Care at the time of her passing, where she was a popular patient, and the family extends its sincere thanks and appreciation for the love and support Pat received. Pat is survived by her four children, Mary Sugrue (Jack) of Paradise, Edwin Spear (Vicki Wedegaertner) of Santa Rosa, Laura Heitkam (Patrick), of Orland and Peggy Ucciferri (Tony); five grandchildren, Claire Thompson (Eli), Madison (Kalli), Francesca Ucciferri (Bryce Brown), Charles Ucciferri (Mary), and Michael who was born on Pat's 70th birthday; five great grandsons; nieces Trudy Wleklinski (Mark), Leanne Hubbell (Gilbert), Marla Ward (Patrick); many grandnieces and nephews; and many close friends. She was also an avid animal lover and had many dogs throughout her life. Pat was preceded in death by her husband, parents, her brothers and their wives, Barbara Matthews, Alma Jean Matthews and her nephew, George Michael Matthews, along with her beloved special friend Om Wraith. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer's Association. To view obituary online and leave condolences for the family please go to www.NewtonBracewell.com.