Skyline College lost a beloved soul prior to this holiday break.

Pataine Gladstone, a former ASSC member and exuberant Skyline student lost her battle with cancer on Nov. 22. Gladstone took life into her own hands and was loved by many.

“Patty felt that it was never too late to challenge yourself and improve your life through education,” Amory Cariadus, director of student development, said.

Students from all walks of life felt the passionate essence that Gladstone expelled into her world. Gladstone carried herself with grace and purpose.

Skyline student, Gianni Grelli recalls a biology trip to an estuary in Half Moon Bay where she was unable to join the class at the tides, so they surprised her with an octopus they found when they returned to the van.

Grelli recalled that she was “always funny and optimistic” during class.

Patty was a large part of Skyline’s academic culture. She was part of ASSC and Women in Transition.

Her close friends and members describe her as big hearted and determined.

“Everybody loved her,” said Gladstone’s friend Kaylyn Edwards.

Edwards and other friends of Gladstone will be hosting a memorial in her honor on Friday, Dec. 12 (room to be decided still).

There will be a slideshow and an altar both filled with memories of Gladstone’s life here at Skyline. There will also be a memory book for guests to write down their own recollections and love for her.

Gladstone was a dominant force here at Skyline; this was her place of graduation. She majored in anthropology and graduated from Skyline in 2013.

Her love of life ranged from her involvement in WIT and ASSC to her adoration of her pets and her enthusiasm for education.

Multiple charities have been suggested as ways to ensure Gladstone’s spirit lives on through philanthropy. These include: Honoring Our Mothers (part of WIT), Stand Up to Cancer and the S.P.C.A. There is a memorial page on Facebook for Gladstone, and links to these sites will be posted soon.

Her friends remember her as determined and focused; recalling a day where a dying wheelchair battery still didn’t keep her from attending classes.

“I don’t think she was worried, or had any sense of anxiety,” said Professor Lori Slicton, a mentor and friend of Gladstone’s, about her final days on Earth.