Patricia Kaye (Barr) Wood, aka "Pat," was born in St. Joseph, Missouri to Dorothy (Brown) Barr and Charles Bennett Barr on September 3, 1938.  She was the middle child, and only girl, buttressed by brothers Roger and John.  Her early years were marred by the tragedy of losing her father "CB" at the young age of 7, when he returned from WW2 service with polio.  After his death, the family eventually settled in Ottawa where she attended school, graduating from Ottawa high school in 1956.  She was very active in school events and proudly served as a majorette in the marching band.  She had many friends from her days in Ottawa, and tried to make it to every reunion.  Thereafter she attended K-State for a short while, then moved with her family to the Kansas City area, and lived in Roeland Park, and began working as a legal secretary.  In 1960 she met and married her husband, John R. Wood and moved to Leawood Kansas, where they raised three children, Kathy, Carrie and Brian, and attended Cure of Ars Catholic Church. Pat was active in her community and served for some years as a Girl Scout leader.  For many years, she worked for many prominent law firms in the Kansas City area, and also managed to finish her undergraduate degree at Avila College, while working.

In the early 1990's she moved to California eventually working for the California Attorney General's Office as a legal secretary, where she also became a Union representative for the SEIU, despite her prior years of voting Republican.  While in California she also obtained various side gigs as a gameshow contestant, or an extra, appearing on various tv shows, such as the Tonight Show, where she sang "Stop in the Name of Love" wearing a rainbow wig, much to her childrens' collective horror.  She also liked to get dressed up and save seats at the Oscars, when the participants would step out to go to the restroom.  She also had a knack for appearing in the local news reports during weather disasters, in the LA Times picketing for the SEIU.  For a person who seemed to crave the spotlight, LA was a good fit.  She was also very active in various legal trade groups for paralegals and legal secretaries, where she was known for her flower arrangements for the event tables.

Upon her retirement from the Attorney Generals' Office, she returned to Kansas City and resided in Prairie Village at the Kenilworth Apartments, across from Cure of Ars Church, to be near her son, Brian and his wife Jayne, who both worked hard to keep her safe, entertained and "out of trouble."  She enjoyed being in her old neighborhood and seeing how things had changed over the years (except for "the guns" – "why does everybody here have guns now?!")  She also enjoyed having her patio garden.  Among her many and varied hobbies and interests over the years, sports were a constant joy and at times, sorrow.  She was always a fervent fan of KU Jayhawks (despite having attended K-State), LA Lakers, KC Royals and Chiefs.  Although her recent years were hampered by having suffered from Parkinson's – she was still able to enjoy her sports and continue to avidly follow football and basketball.

In addition to her children, she is survived by her brother John Barr and wife Suzann of Little Rock, four grandchildren who she was extraordinarily proud of:  Emilia and Celeste Nobrega, of Seattle and Boston, respectively, and Abigail and Charles Connon, of Brooklyn, and Los Angeles, as well as many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

Burial service will be at Highland Cemetery, Ottawa, KS at 11:00 on Saturday, September 30. Family and friends will gather at the family home on Leawood at 6:00.