Patricia Reid Ford

Patricia Reid Ford was born in San Francisco on May 17, 1923. Her middle name comes from her grandmother, Lily Reid.

Important Facts

May 17, 1923	Pat was born in San Francisco, California, the second daughter of Marion Boisot and Byington Ford. She was the granddaughter of Tirey L. Ford, a former California state senator and attorney general who also authored Dawn of the Dons, a history of the Monterey Peninsula. Source: California, Birth Index, 1905-1995, familysearch.org, accessed April 4, 2026.	Patricia when she was five years old.
1924–1935	Pat and her family lived in Pebble Beach until she was 11 years old. Her father, Byington, was the manager of the Del Monte Properties in Pebble Beach and worked for developer Samuel F. B. Morse. Byington's sister, Relda, married Morse on February 8, 1919, in Pebble Beach.	Patricia when she was five years old.
1927	At age 3, a statue was made of Pat which stands on her property in Carmel-by-the-Sea today. The statue was made by the famous artist and writer, Joe Mora. To find out more about Joe Mora, visit the Joe Mora web site.	Statue by Joe Mora
April 4, 1930	The U.S. Federal Census recorded Byington Ford (39), Marion B. (32), Mary Jane (8), Patricia (6), and Audrey (3) as living in Pebble Beach, California. Source: 1930 United States Federal Census, Monterey, California; Roll: 179; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 31; Image: 865.0.	Statue by Joe Mora
1932	At age 9, in the fourth grade, Pat received a monthly report card from the Douglas School—now the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach. She earned A’s in Art, French, Music, Penmanship, and Reading. The sports director was Dick Collins, who later worked at the Equestrian Center when I attended RLS. Source: Douglas School monthly report.	Pat at age six.
1936–1937	She attended seventh and eighth grade at the Sarah Dix Hamlin School for girls in San Francisco, California, graduating on June 10, 1937. At the time, she was living at 2170 Jackson Street in San Francisco with her mother and two sisters.
	She spent summers at her mother's Moon Trail Ranch in Carmel Valley, California.
1938	The family later moved to Pasadena, where they lived at 585 Bellefontaine Street, and Pat attended Westridge School for Girls.
1938	Pat kept a daily diary in which she wrote about attending the Rose Bowl football game, receiving Western Union telegrams, and collecting comic clippings from newspapers. Source: 1938 Diary.
Nov 7, 1939	Pat wrote an essay for her English III class titled “Such is Life,” which received an “A.” The story tells of a girl who did not get a part in a play and concludes with the reflection that “life is often very real and unfair to people who need a chance.” Source: Essay written in blue ink on paper, dated November 7, 1939.
April 1, 1941	Pat wrote her mother, then Mrs. Howard Ernst, a letter at 360 Grove Street, Pasadena, California, from Brownmoor High School about a recent trip to Utah and skiing with six girls. Source: Letter dated April 1, 1941.
1941	Pat graduated from Brownmoor High School, a girls boarding school in Santa Fe, New Mexico.	Graduation picture
1944-1945	Pat sent postcards to her mother at 4818 Bonvue Avenue in Los Angeles, California. One, dated September 28, 1944, featured a painting by Auguste Renoir from the Art Institute of Chicago. Another, dated January 12, 1945, featured a painting by Rembrandt from the same museum. Source: Postcards dated September 28, 1944, and January 12, 1945.
1945	Pat wrote to her mother, Mrs. Howard Ernst, at 4818 Bonvue Avenue in Los Angeles from 1300 North Dearborn Street in Chicago, Illinois. She later wrote again, expressing gratitude for having her as a mother, sharing details about art school and dating, and signing the letter “Reid.” Source: Letters dated February 7, 1945 and March 28, 1945.
1946	Pat studied at the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois for one year. She didn't like the cold weather there.
1947	Pat went to the Chouinard School of Art, 741 S. Grand View, Los Angeles, California, where she met Nadine Cardwell, a lifelong friend.
November 15, 1949	Pat and Tommy appeared as chorus liners in the Paisano newspaper at Robles Del Rio, California. Source: The Paisano newspaper.	Pat, Tommy, Mary Jane next to their statues.
November 15, 1949	Pat had an art gallery showing at the Carmel Valley White Oak Inn called Portraits by Patricia.
	Met Alexander D. Henderson III at the Carmel ski club or Mission Ranch, Carmel, California.
December 9, 1950	The engagement of Patricia Ford to Alexander D. Henderson III was announced in the Monterey Peninsula Herald newspaper.
February 17, 1951	They were married at Pat's mother's Moon Trail Ranch in Carmel Valley. Their honeymoon was in Ensenada, Mexico.	Alex and Pat cutting their wedding cake.
	Pat and Alex up housekeeping at their 797 E. Williams Street apartment in San Jose, California.	Alex and Pat cutting their wedding cake.
November 19, 1951	Alexander Dawson Henderson IV was born while his father was still going to San Jose State College.	Mom, Dawson, & Alex.
Fall 1952	The family moved to Alameda, California because Alex got a job at Montgomery Ward as a merchandiser.
July 1953	They moved again to 609 Genevieve Lane in San Jose because Alex got a job as an Investigator at Household Finance Corporation.
July 29, 1953	Gregory Ford Henderson was born in Carmel, California.
	A lithograph by Paul Whitman was given to Pat and Alex on their wedding day by Pat’s father, Byington Ford. Carmel is known for its Monterey cypress trees. Source: Paul Whitman website.	Monterey Cypress by by Paul Whitman.
	Alex and Pat bought their first house on Pruneridge Street in San Jose, California, which is now the heart of Silicon Valley.
April 4, 1955	David Girald Henderson was born in San Jose, California.
July 5, 1957	The family moved from California to Hillsboro Beach, Florida. They initially stayed at the Avon-by-the-Sea apartments, which were owned by Alec’s father.
	Alex and Pat built a new house at 3532 N.E. 31st Avenue, Pompano Beach, Florida.	Pat (Sept 1961).
March 10, 1958	Scott Douglas Henderson was born at Holy Cross Hospital in Pompano Beach, Florida.
	Later, the family moved to Sea Ranch Lakes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
November 5, 1963	Holly Henderson was born at Holy Cross Hospital in Pompano Beach, Florida.	Henderson Family in Chico, California (1960s).
1968	Pat and Alex were divorced in Florida.
Summer 1969	Pat and her children moved back to California.
1969	Pat first rented a house in Carmel Valley, then purchased a home at First Avenue and Dolores Street near downtown Carmel, California. On a trip to Jamaica, she met Richard "Dick" Reid Crass. They became friends and later started dating.	Richard Reid Crass
December 5, 1970	Pat and Dick were married in All Saints Chapel, Grace United Methodist Church. The Rev. Paul E. McCoy officiated at the ceremony. Source: Newspaper clipping dated 12/19/70.
1971	Pat purchased a house at 37 Deodora Drive, Atherton and then moved to 91 Inglewood Lane in Atherton, California.
	Pat bought a weekend home in Carmel on Carmelo Road close to the ocean.
January 19, 1985	Pat's father, Byington Ford died at his home in Ventura, California. Pat continued with her painting of people and landscapes.	The Guitarist
1988	Pat purchased a house on Scenic Drive in Carmel, California.
1989	Richard R. Crass died at their home in Atherton, California.
June 15, 1990	Pat's mother, Marion Boisot died at her home in Carmel Valley, California.
September 1992	Pat took a trip to France with Nadine Cardwell and a group of art friends including Jane Hofstetter. Source: Journal Pat wrote on her trip to France in 1992.
November 28, 2003	Patricia and her sister, Tommy, were at the Maritime Museum of Monterey for artist Jo Mora.	Patricia and Tommy in Monterey, California (1990).
	Pat showed her oils and watercolors at the Menlo Art League in Menlo Park, California.
July 2011 - 2024	Pat sold her house in Atherton and moved into the Vi in Palo Alto, which is a senior living community. She loved to paint, garden, and enjoyed playing bridge.
October 29, 2024	Pat died at her residence at the Vi in Palo Alto, California. A memorial service was held for her in Carmel, California. An obituary was published in the Monterey County Herald and the San Jose Mercury News.