Patricia Nodell Olson Bozak born on February 20, 1934, in New London, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on June 25, 2024. Patricia was the first child of Noble Arnold Olson and Verda Adella Olson (née Hendrickson) who were extremely proud of their Norwegian roots. Patricia grew up in Minnesota with her beloved brother, Tom, who later married Marilyn Hester.

From a young age, Patricia displayed a love for learning, adventure and travel. She went to high school in Corona, California and graduated as the Valedictorian. She attended Denver University on an academic scholarship and after graduation, became the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar. She studied in Heidelberg Germany during her Fulbright year.

Her academic journey continued at the University of California, Berkeley, where she enrolled in a MS program in Organic Chemistry. It was during this time that she met and fell in love with Richard Bozak. They married in Berkeley, CA, and soon welcomed their first child, Karen, who was conceived during Richard's postdoctoral appointment in Russia. Patricia was a 4th grade teacher at the American Embassy School of Moscow USSR for the 1959-60 academic year, beloved by her students and exceptional in her teaching.

Patricia and Richard moved to the Bay Area of California in 1960 where Richard accepted a position at California State University Hayward, East Bay, as a Professor. The family settled in Dublin, CA, where they made their home for several decades and welcomed two more children, Kristin and Ronald.

Patricia's passion for family and travel endured throughout her life. She and Richard spearheaded adventurous travels for the family, often using academic pathways to gain opportunities to travel internationally, with sabbaticals taking them to Hawaii, Germany, Norway, Portugal, and Hungary. Patricia was an exceptional cook, seamstress, avid reader yet her life's greatest work was her children and grandchildren. She was exemplary.

Her brother Tom, her children, Karen, Kristin, and Ronald, her grandchildren and great grandchild survive Patricia. A remembrance ceremony is being planned for late summer, where family and friends will gather to celebrate Richard and Patricia's remarkable lives. We plan to spread ashes in San Francisco, at the Golden Gate Bridge, and extend a dinner party hosted at their favorite San Francisco restaurant, Tomasso's.