Orange Coast College retiree Patti McDonald passed away on Tuesday, July 12.
Patti worked at OCC for 31 years, and retired in 2018 as a senior admissions, record and enrollment tech. She was well known across campus for her sunny and upbeat attitude, and her unfailing school spirit. “When I think of [Patti] I think of OCC, because she loved the College so much,” says Scholarship Program Coordinator Tijai Nguyen. “There were three things she loved – her [Iowa State] Cyclones, Mickey Mouse, and OCC.”
Tijai and Patti were best friends and were often seen around campus together or at school events. Up until recently, they would head to Disneyland every Friday night after work. “She is my best friend, my sister and my family,” says Tijai.
In addition to being an active volunteer on many campus committees, over the years Patti also helped out with events like Senior Day, Commencement and Honor's Night. When longtime faculty member Leon Skeie lost his young granddaughter Jessie to brain cancer in 2012, Patti helped spearhead the Jessie Rees Foundation’s Joy Jars efforts on campus.
“She was one of the most wonderful individuals I’ve ever known,” says Skeie. “One year after we started the Jessie Rees Foundation and Joy Jar toy drive, Patti brought in an entire van full of toys she had collected on campus for kids in hospitals. She was just that kind of a person. Everybody loved her, because you couldn’t not love her. I’m so thankful to God that I got to know her in my life.”
As a former softball player, Patti also was a fixture at OCC sports events and supported Pirate athletic teams.
In 2016 Patti won OCC’s “Strong Rower Award” which acknowledges staff members who go above and beyond in their service to students and staff members. At the time, Patti’s colleagues described her as the consummate “team player” who was always willing to go the extra mile for students and colleagues.
“She was very sweet, that never changed,” said Tijai. “She loved talking to people, they could easily connect with Patti. She was a people person for sure, very honest and caring.”
Patti is survived by her husband, Michael, her three brothers, Tom, Mike and Gary, and countless friends who loved her dearly. Funeral services will take place in Iowa, and the Orange Coast College Foundation has plans to organize an on-campus memorial for Patti during the Fall semester.