Turning 100 on St. Patrick’s Day, Patricia (“Pat”) Densmore is the oldest, and perhaps the friendliest, resident of San Juan Court.
Something of a rarity in an age of residents moving in and out at breakneck speed, this close-knit court, near Egan and Bullis Charter schools, is one where neighbors know – and like – each other.
Priya Dharan, a San Juan Court resident since 1997, said Pat has “been like the queen of the court”: involved with and loved by her neighbors, young and old. Pat enjoys the small-town feel of Los Altos, as well as her life on San Juan Court.
“I have wonderful neighbors,” she said. “This is a friendly place. The neighbors care about each other and you care about them, and that’s a nice feeling.”
Pat will celebrate with friends and family on March 16, complete with tables and tents set up outside her house, followed by a small family lunch the next day. Her family and neighbors have also arranged to dedicate a bench to her at Shoup Park, “one of her favorite places in the world,” according to her daughter-in-law, Bonnie Densmore. Along with concerts in the park and frequent walks in Redwood Grove, Pat enjoys watching families and kids in the park, and for many years had a close friend across the street.
Originally from Arkansas City, Kansas, Pat met her husband, Melville “Denny” Densmore, there, and the couple headed to the West Coast: Portland, Stanford while he was finishing his degree, Seattle, San Diego, and back to Los Altos in 1959,” Bonnie said. Denny worked at Philco-Ford. While Pat’s primary role was raising her children, she maintained an interest in art and continued to hone her skills.
Pat and Denny had two children: son Scott (Bonnie’s husband), now in Las Vegas, and daughter Terri (Danner), who resides in Livermore. Pat also has one grandson, Travis (wife Shelley), and a great-grandson, Elliott.
Over the years, Pat studied art at Kansas City Art Institute (where Hallmark Greeting Card Co. financed her education), Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and Foothill College. Pat enjoyed landscape painting and worked for many years as an illustrator of medical textbooks. In her 60s she discovered a new passion: bird-carving. Winning first place in several shows, Bonnie said that Pat was very proud of this endeavor, particularly having won in a “male-dominated” field. The Los Altos History Museum featured an exhibition of some of her bird carvings about 15 years ago.
When Denny died in 2000, Pat became more involved with the Los Altos Senior Program, and for over 20 years was a member of the sock monkey toy group, which makes toys for patients at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, as well as attending exercise classes and luncheons.
Asked if Pat had any words of wisdom regarding longevity, Bonnie responded, and Pat laughed, “The one thing we say is ‘She likes her coffee black and her wine on time.’ Her ‘wine time’ is 5 p.m. – a glass of chardonnay.”
Pat still enjoys sitting on her front deck and waving to or welcoming neighbors over for a chat.
“She enjoys that social time – it’s her favorite time of the day,” Bonnie said. “She’s always been a social person, and loves having (neighbors) stop by. She’s always been that way … welcoming to everyone.”
Dharan echoed those sentiments.
“She’s very welcoming of people and taking care of everybody in town,” she said. “‘Come in, have a seat, have a drink.’ She’s always ready to socialize and join in the neighborhood activities.”
“She’s such a positive person,” she added.
Although nearing the century mark has brought some signs of slowing down, she still strolls around the court with the help of a walker and gets out to her favorite places around town.
Bonnie and Scott live in Las Vegas, but these days Bonnie spends three weeks a month in Los Altos with Pat. With her family and her neighbors watching out for her, she’s in good hands.
“It’s an amazing blessing to be able to celebrate a neighbor and dear friend’s 100th birthday,” Dharan said.
