Patricia DeMarce Obituary
The San Diego Union-Tribune • Friday, December 9, 2005

By Jack Williams, Staff Writer

For the past three decades, each meticulously restored Balboa Park building or arcade became a monument of sorts to Patricia DeMarce’s tenacity.

As president since 1976 of the preservation minded committee of 100, she combined a rich sense of San Diego history and tradition with the kind of political savvy that spells results.

"Pat was not an ordinary volunteer," said Betty Jo Williams, vice president of the committee of 100, which was formed in 1967 to preserve Balboa Park’s Spanish Colonial architectural theme. "She was a leader who was so excited about what she was doing that it was very easy to follow her."

For Mrs. DeMarce, Balboa Park was the centerpiece of a widespread volunteer agenda that included key roles in organizations representing charities, the arts, philanthropy and health care.

"Her energy and passion seemed boundless," said Amy Weeks, development manager for Meals-on-Wheels of Greater San Diego, where Mrs. DeMarce headed a fundraising committee.

Mrs. DeMarce died Wednesday in her Fletcher Hills home, a week after attending the unveiling of the Committee of 100’s latest Balboa park project: a covered walkway or west arcade along the Prado.

Her family, respecting her wishes, did not disclose her age and said that she died of a brief illness.

"I don’t think any of us knew how sick she was," Williams said. "It was shocking. Just last Friday she hosted an afternoon tea party at the Town & Country in Mission Valley."

On Nov. 9, Mrs. DeMarce’s community service was recognized with an Outstanding Organizational Volunteer of the Year award from the San Diego chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

In 2001, the Save Our Heritage Organization honored her with a life-time achievement and preservationist-of-the-year award.

"Pat was a driving force behind numerous improvements in Balboa Park," said San Diego Deputy Mayor Toni Atkins. "The construction of the west arcade would not have come about if not for the persistence of tenacity of Pat DeMarce This is a devastating loss for Balboa Park and everyone who knew and loved her.

In addition to her role with the preservation committee, Mrs. DeMarce served on the Balboa Park Advisory Committee for the philanthropic San Diego Foundation.

She had been president at various times of the San Diego Opera Guild, the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, the Globe Guilders, the San Diego chapter of the Freedoms Foundation, the Grossmont Hospital Foundation Board of Governors and the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.

At Grossmont Hospital, she spearheaded an effort to build a comprehensive women’s center, which opened in 1990.

Known as a micromanager who left no detail unattended, Mrs. DeMarce was as familiar with Balboa Park history as she was with the community’s political leaders and funding sources.

"She was right on top of everything and very thorough," Williams said, "She would go to City Council and county government meetings and see political leaders individually to further her cause."

Welton Jones, an arts writer familiar with her work, said: "Nothing happened in balboa Park that didn’t have Pat’s fingerprints allover it. She was the one who did all the work."

Her influence was such that when she called, civic leaders listened and responded, Jones said.

Mrs. DeMarce’s activism dated to the 1960s, when she was president of civic arts for Youth. Alarmed over the decaying condition of Balboa Park buildings constructed during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition, she joined others in what in 1967 became the Committee of 100.

"The Food and Beverage Building, where the children's theater was, had water on the floor from rain," Williams said. "Something had to be done."

With the committee providing the impetus, voters approved a bond measure in 1968 to rebuild the Food and Beverage Building as Casa del Prado. "Pat was a major power behind the scenes in getting it passed," Jones said.

After succeeding Bea Evenson as committee president, Mrs. DeMarce spearheaded restoration efforts for the Casa de Balboa in 1981, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in 1983, an arcade near the Lily Pond on the Prado in 1992, the House of Charm in 1996 and the House of Hospitality in 1998.

With the dedication of the west arcade Nov. 30, the committee reached another milestone. "It puts the park a step back toward where we want to be in preserving the Spanish Colonial Architecture"" Mrs. De Marce told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mrs. DeMarce, a native of Newport, R.I., moved with her family to San Diego as a youth. She graduated from Hoover High School and San Diego State University, where she met her husband Donn DeMarce.

In addition to her husband, survivors include daughters Michele Anderson of La Mesa and Danielle Stanton of Blossom Valley; a sister, Rose Dunbar of La Mesa; and two grand children.

A viewing is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Garden Chapel, Greenwood memorial Park. A service is scheduled for noon Thursday at Greenwood Memorial Park, Garden Chapel, to be followed by a reception at the Town & Country Resort Hotel, Trellises Restaurant, Mission Valley.

Donations are suggested to the Committee of 100, Meals-on-Wheels of Greater San Diego or the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary.

To make a contribution in memory of Pat DeMarce, please make a note on your check to
The Committee of One Hundred and send to:

The Committee of One Hundred
Balboa Park Administration Building
2125 Park Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101