Patricia Anna Haddad

November 10, 1945 – December 1, 2012

Born in a small town in North Georgia, Patricia Anne Lang was the eldest of eight children. She was predeceased by her parents, Victor E. and Mary Frances (Emmett) Lang. She is survived by her daughter, Kendra Gage, and all of her brothers and sisters (Larry Lang of South Carolina, Linda Lang of Phoenix, Johnny Lang of Reno, Ben Lang of Oakland, Nancy Smith of Houston, Susan Thompson of Reno, and Cindy Danhakl of Fresno).

A courageous and industrious woman, Pat left North Georgia on her own and headed to California. She worked hard and was accepted to the prestigious University of California, Berkeley. She received scholarships and grants and became the first member of her family to receive a college degree.

The great love and light of Pat's life was her beautiful daughter, Kendra Marissa Gage, who resides in Rolling Hills Estates, California. Pat married John Gage (Kendra's father) in 1970, and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area after their divorce for a number of years. In 1985 Pat moved to Southern California.

Pat attained a PhD equivalent in education, and although being qualified to serve in school administration, she chose to teach in the lower primary levels for 37 years. She was especially gifted in instructing children who were struggling with their reading skills. Many of her former students owe her a debt of gratitude because she would not give up until they began to read well. She was a gifted artist and drew many of her own materials for the classroom. Her fellow teachers often requested her assistance in artwork for special occasions. The stories that Pat wrote and illustrated for her students were loved by all. She was fluent in Spanish and spent many years as a bi-lingual educator. Fellow teachers, her students, and their parents all loved and respected Pat for her dedication and wonderful talents.

In 2001 she married George Haddad, a Palos Verdes business owner. Pat and George made a great team and worked together to build their company, Hadd-Co. Through Pat's hard work and guidance, Hadd-Co and their other business ventures grew and prospered. Pat and George greatly enjoyed their years together, traveling to many places throughout the world. To Pat's deep sorrow, George died of lung cancer in May of 2011.

Pat was a healthy, robust, and energetic individual until this past July when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a successful surgery and was considered cancer-free, but her oncologist convinced her to follow with several chemotherapy treatments. After the first treatment, Pat began to experience difficulty breathing. Her oncologist made the decision to continue with a second chemotherapy treatment. After this, her ability to breathe got much worse, and it was discovered that she had experienced a severe reaction to the chemotherapy, causing acute inflammation in her lungs. Torrance Memorial Medical Center endeavored to treat the condition but unfortunately was unsuccessful. She was placed on a ventilator Monday, November 26, and valiantly fought to recover her capability to breathe. The inflammation had quickly turned into scar tissue, ultimately resulting in respiratory failure due to pulmonary fibrosis.
Her compassionate and brilliant pulmonologist, Dr. Yasmeen Shaw, gently assisted Kendra with the inevitable decision to remove the ventilator on Saturday morning, December 1, 2012. Pat was held in the arms of her beloved daughter, Kendra, and surrounded by her sisters and Kendra's father when she was received by the Lord at 11:00 am.

Throughout her life, Pat strived to improve the lives of everyone around her. She was an amazingly loving and self-sacrificing mother and a remarkable person. She will be greatly missed.



Funeral Home:
Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel
27501 S.Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
US 90275