Patricia Langley Finn

Patricia Finn (nee Langley) passed away peacefully on April 6, 2023. She was born in South Portland, Maine on August 3, 1935, to Miles and Anita Langley. She graduated from Middlebury College in 1957 with a degree in Fine Arts and was a buyer at Filene’s and Porteous, Mitchell & Braun in Portland before meeting her husband Ron while working at MIT. After getting married, they moved to Santa Barbara while Pat was 8 months pregnant with her daughter Andrea, squashed into their burgundy Hemi Cuda with 2 outraged cats.

Pat was a founding member of PEP, Postpartum Education for Parents, and a dynamic advocate for infant care during a time when there was little help for new moms in this area. She was incredibly active at Mt. View, Goleta Valley Junior High, and Dos Pueblos High School in the PTA and supported education and the arts throughout her life. Books were a huge part of Pat’s life as well; she was an avid reader and editor for a local publisher, Para Publishing, for many years.

Pat and Ron – until his death in 2005 – spent much of their lives going back and forth between California and Maine. She was an expert telemark skier, an aficionado of the woods and the beach, a marvelous pianist, an animal lover, an admirer of the history of New England, and a wonderful storyteller. She had a love of old movies, was a fabulous cook, and created a home full of art, science, sport, creativity, and laughter. She had a vast group of lifelong friends here in Santa Barbara and always had a smile, a laugh, and a caring gesture for everyone. Her warm, kind, calm personality had a steadying influence on those who were lucky to have known her. Pat is survived by her daughter and son.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Pat’s name to the Santa Barbara Humane Society or the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center – her favorite place – in Falmouth, Maine.