Commander Patricia E. Clancy's Obituary
Commander Patricia E. Clancy (USN, Ret.) July 10, 1938 – June 16, 2025
Patricia E. ‘Pat’ Clancy, 86, of Escondido, CA, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, June 16th. She was the beloved daughter of Thomas and Mary Clancy.
Born in 1938 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Pat graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1956. She enrolled the Pawtucket Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, where she qualified as a nurse in 1959. In 1961, she continued her education at Boston University where she obtained her bachelor’s in nursing.
Pat’s decision to become a nurse was informed by the death of her brother Thomas ‘Tommy’ Clancy when he was six years old. This early painful loss inspired her to dedicate her life to helping others.
Pat began her career in the Navy in 1964, where her first tour of duty was in Jacksonville, FL. She was later stationed in Japan and Guam, along with numerous locations in the continental United States. While stationed in Oakland, CA in 1973, Pat nursed POWs returning from Vietnam. She was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy & Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Navy Commendation Medal. She retired from the Navy in 1989, after obtaining the rank of Commander.
Following her separation from the Navy, Pat taught and supervised nursing students at Maric College-Vista. She continued her vocation to service, volunteering in local schools, raising money for breast cancer research and caring for her mother. She travelled the world and enjoyed creating knitting and needlepoint keepsakes for her friends and loved ones. Pat was active in the Navy Nurse Corps, serving as President of the Southern California chapter and as a national board member. She was a parishioner of St. Timothy’s Catholic Church for over 40 years.
Pat was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Tommy. She is survived by her brother, James E. Clancy of Tiverton, Rhode Island; her nephew Thomas, his wife Michelle, and her grandniece Jocelyn of Dover, New Hampshire; and her niece Mary Alice and her husband, John Nagle, of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Pat had a wide circle of friends throughout the world who were very dear to her, and who mourn her loss. Her family wish to thank and recognize her friends from the Navy Nurse Corps and her needlepoint and beading groups who helped to care for Pat in her final years.
Visitation hours will take place at the Alhiser-Comer Mortuary in Escondido on July 9th from 5:00pm-8:00pm, and will finish with a recitation of the Rosary. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 am on July 10th at the Parish Church of St. Timothy in Escondido. She will be interred in Miramar National Cemetery at 2:15pm on August 6th.
In lieu of flowers, Pat’s family request that donations be made to the Navy Nurse Corps Association of Southern California’s Scholarship Fund at: https://nncasc.org/ or Interfaith Community Services at https://interfaithservices.org/donate/.
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