Patricia "Patty" Acuna

Patricia J. Acuna, (maiden name withheld for privacy) born Nov 12, 1934, died June 9, 2024 in Gainesville, Texas. She was the only child of her mother, Catheryne, who used a stage name, Michael O’Sullivan, and was later known as Mickey O’Leary. “Patty,” also called Patsy Jo as a child, was born in Ventura, CA, and was raised for several years by her father’s family in the San Fernando Valley.

Patty proudly spoke of her time in California jobs while as a mostly single mother. She worked hard as a polio nurse, an elegant model of wigs, and a waitress at the former Alexander’s in Long Beach, the Ranch House, and bartending in numerous dive bars in Norwalk and Hawaiian Gardens back in the ‘70s.

Patty loved on folks like family and easily made friends with her generosity, charm, and raunchy sense of humor. Her nickname while bartending was “Patty Boobs” (to discern which Patty you were talking about, of course), which she even put on her car as a bumper sticker. She endured extremely difficult hardship and five husbands, who all crossed over before her.

Her sobriety began in her late fifties in Blythe, CA when working at Kmart, where she won many years’ Halloween costume contests and worked the fitting room like an Energizer Bunny. Patty fed the Kmart feral cat colony for years and adopted her own stray cat, Annie, who brought much joy over the years.

She is predeceased by her daughter, Cathleen Franks, and her son Charles (aka Chuck) Franks. Her surviving family includes her daughter, Shelly Chapa (husband Frank Chapa) who both cared for her the last 3 years of her life, niece Sandy Grubbs (husband Mark Grubbs), who both cared for her during the 8 years prior, daughter Shannon Batts (husband Nick O’Connor), grandchildren Christina Hubble and Maeve O’Connor, eight grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and great grandchildren, and her forever daughter-in-law, Karen Kobzeff.