Mona Patricia (Pat) Edmunson
March 22, 1940 – May 10, 2023
On May 10, 2023, Pat Edmunson passed away at her winter home in Apache Junction, Arizona, surrounded by her family after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Pat was delivered by Dr. Shadwell in Aztec, New Mexico, to Rocky and Lu Dudley, joining her brother, Kermit and half brother, Carlton Allen.
When she was 5 years old, the family of five packed into a Model A coupe with her father’s saddle strapped to the side and moved to Raton, New Mexico, where she attended her first nine years of school. The family relocated to Ashland, Oregon, in 1955, where she completed her sophomore year of high school. She spent that summer working in the wardrobe department of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The family then moved to Burns, Oregon, in 1956 and Pat graduated from Burns High School in 1958.
In 1959, she and Gary Cronin were married and they welcomed their daughter, Marti in 1960. In 1965, the family grew again with the arrival of son, Scott. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Klamath Falls, where Gary attended Oregon Technical Institute and Pat completed on-the-job training and worked as a dental assistant and dental technician to support the family.
In 1974, Harney County beckoned and the family moved to Catlow Valley, where Gary worked on the Rock Creek Ranch and Pat worked at the Frenchglen store. Though glad to be out of the city, their time at Rock Creek was short and they moved back to Burns, where Pat worked at Edward Hines Lumber Company in the molding plant as a grader.
In 1976, Pat and Gary purchased the Drewsey Tavern and Cafe, which they operated until their divorce in 1978.
On May 13, 1980, Pat married the love of her life, Richard Edmunson. She and son Scott joined Richard and his children, Sheila and Sean, on the ranch in Drewsey.
Pat was very involved in the Drewsey community. She was a first responder and loved helping out with school plays and activities while her children and grandchildren were attending. Many of the kids in the community called her “Mom” or “Granny Pat.”
Pat and Richard made a great team, working together tirelessly on the ranch. She worked in the hay fields, buckarooed, fed branding crews, fed cows, pulled and doctored calves, all while keeping a clean and tidy house. When Pat sold her saddle in 2008, Richard took that as an indication it was time sell the ranch and retire. After many years of feeding cows and calving in the winter, they purchased their home in Apache Junction, where they spent their winters while returning home to Drewsey each summer.
Pat is survived by her husband of 43 years, half sister Nedra Dean of Prineville, brother Kermit Lee Dudley of Glennallen, Alaska, daughter Marti Cronin of Princeton, son Scott Cronin of Drewsey, stepdaughter Sheila Edmunson of Phoenix, Arizona, stepson Sean Edmunson of Ontario, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
A potluck celebration of life will be held at the Drewsey Community Hall at noon on June 17, followed by a graveside service at the Drewsey Cemetery. Our mom loved flowers, so they would be a very welcome part of the celebration.
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