In Memory of

Patricia

Cornell

Herron

Obituary for Patricia Cornell Herron

Patricia Cornell Riggs Herron
November 26 1929-November 13 2018
Patricia Cornell Herron passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family in Olympia WA on November 13, 2018. She was born on November 26, 1929 in Portland Oregon to Norman Riggs and Florence Cornell Riggs and had two brothers David Riggs and William Donnelly. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Donald, and 5 children; Janne, Nicole, Leslie, Daniel and Deirdre. She is also survived by 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Patty was a direct descendant of the Cornell family, one of the first families in Tacoma, and great-grand daughter of Ezra Cornell who founded Cornell University. Her Grandfather Daniel Cornell and his brother Edward rode up from Portland to Tacoma in the 1880s because "Portland was too crowded". The Cornell brothers were builders and masons; some of their most notable projects were Paradise Lodge at Mt Rainier and Union Station.
Patty moved to Tacoma at age 10, where she witnessed the collapse of the Narrows Bridge with her schoolmates in 1940. She then lived on Gravelly Lake in Lakewood and had many fond memories of riding her horse there, and spent summers at the family beach house on Vashon Island. She graduated Clover Park High School and went on to UPS and then TCC to study art. She met the love of her life Don Herron in 1960. He married her with 3 girls whom he embraced as his own and they went on to have 2 more children together. They spent many happy years on Lake Steilacoom where Patty taught art lessons, raised their children and re-designed their lake house. Patty was a true renaissance woman. An accomplished artist, painter and sculptor and a member of TACA art group, a very talented piano player (her favorite was Rachmaninoff), entrepreneur & business owner of several boutiques and art galleries most notably being the Dovecote in Carmel, CA for over 20 years, and the Blue Heron Gallery & VIVA boutique in Lakewood. She was a master gardener. She also enjoyed skiing, tennis and travelling. She had a love for animals, especially dogs and her beloved Cocker spaniels. She was a curious, creative, intelligent woman whose artwork showed in the Seattle Art Museum and who loved sparking up a conversation with strangers. She was a unique soul who will truly be missed. As her husband Don said upon her death "She was quite a gal".