Patricia Mactavish

Patricia Harpley MacTavish, age 65, of Spring Lake passed away May 29, 2007, at the Poppen House of Harbor Hospice in Fruitport. She was born October 10, 1941, in Fostoria, Ohio, to Wesley and Edith (Kyle) Harpley. On December 28, 1963, she married John Nickolas MacTavish at the First Methodist Church in Fostoria. Pat is survived by her husband, John; two daughters, Sara A. (Tim) DeGarmo of Holland and Rebecca A. M. MacTavish of Phoenix, Arizona; her sister, Penelope Justice of Fostoria; her brother, Christopher Harpley of Sanford, Florida; and four grandchildren: Felisha, Alexis, Nia, and Nickolas DeGarmo of Holland. Pat graduated from Fostoria High School in 1959 and from Bowling Green State University in 1963, where she was a member of the Phi Mu Sorority. Pat worked as a chemist at the Parke-Davis Research Laboratory in Detroit, Michigan, and at Standard Oil of Ohio in Cleveland. She taught chemistry and writing classes at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, and she also did freelance technical writing. When she retired in October of 2006, she was a senior staff engineer at General Dynamics in Muskegon. Pat served on the Vestry at her church, St. John's Episcopal Church in Grand Haven, and she was a member of the American Chemical Society. Pat also enjoyed immensely the many friends she made as a member of PEO. A memorial service will be held on Monday, June 4, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church in Grand Haven with Rev. Henry Idema III, Ph.D., officiating. A reception will follow the service. Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to the American Cancer Society or to the Spring Lake District Library.