Patricia Everett Lacks

Dr. Patricia Lacks, age 75, passed away peacefully in Santa Barbara on December 3, 2016 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Pat has been a resident of Santa Barbara for almost 25 years. She and her husband Paul moved to Santa Barbara after she retired from her job as a clinical psychology researcher and college professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where she worked for 18 years. During her professional career, she had two books published as well as many articles in her field. Her research focused on the areas of testing for brain dysfunction and the treatment of insomnia.

Pat grew up moving around a lot as her father was transferred between Air Force bases. She lived in Japan for some time as a young girl, and graduated from high school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pat attended Washington University as an undergraduate and a graduate student, receiving her PhD in 1966, before she began working there in the Psychology Department.

In Santa Barbara, Pat worked as a sleep therapist for The Sleep Disorders Center of Santa Barbara, as a teacher at UCSB and Antioch University, and as a volunteer for Planned Parenthood. She is survived by her husband Paul Gawronik, her two children Amy and Jeffrey Lacks, and her granddaughter Dahlia. Donations can be made in her name to Planned Parenthood.