Patricia Byrd Canson (née Smith) was born on Sept. 9, 1942, in the Philadelphia suburb of Abington, Penn., to Hugh Maxwell Smith Sr. and Kathryn Ervin Smith (née Burgess).
The eldest of her parents’ children, she grew up on Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands, where the family moved, and in the Philadelphia suburbs after her parents’ separation.
Sent on a summer visit to Saint Thomas with her younger brother, Hugh, to see their father, she ended up staying there for several years attending All Saints Cathedral School and Charlotte Amalie High School.
Pat was raised primarily in and around Philadelphia, including in Wyncote, where her mother’s parents resided, and considered herself a “Philadelphia girl.” Since her mother moved often, she spent a lot of time with her maternal grandparents and changed schools often. From this shuttling between homes in the Virgin Islands and stateside, she expressed that as a child she often felt as if she did not belong, always the new girl breaking into a new circle of friends, something that helped shape her easy way with others.
That started to change while attending Germantown High School in Philadelphia, where she had a circle of close friends and acquaintances. She graduated from Germantown High School in 1960.
Pat felt she truly belonged when she matriculated at Morgan State College (now university), her parents’ alma mater, where everyone was new to each other and had to create circles of friends. She loved it. She met and made many lifelong friends, including her husband, Clarence Bernard Canson of Sacramento, Calif.
At Morgan, Pat pledged the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and was active in Greek life. She graduated in 1964 with a degree in English, proud to be a grammarian with a prodigious vocabulary honed as a crossword enthusiast and Scrabble player.
Three events in 1965 were emblematic of Pat’s life: her marriage to Clarence, the start of her career at Trans World Airlines (TWA), and the birth of her first pet, Genghis Khan.
In 1965, Pat married Clarence, her love and life partner. They lived a carefree year in New York City, before moving to Washington, D.C., where Clarence attended medical school. They then moved to Chicago, where Clarence completed his internship and residency before moving to the Bay Area, where they spent the rest of their lives.
With a shared love of jazz, Pat and Clarence were yearly attendees at the Monterey, Russian River and San Jose Jazz Festivals and enjoyed festivals in Canada and Europe as well. They hosted many parties with friends at their homes. It was a home where many younger siblings, nieces, nephews and other close relatives spent summers. Pat and Clarence were inseparable for 44 years until his death in 2010.
In 1965, after graduating from Morgan, Pat began her career at TWA, one of the United States’ two large international airlines during the golden age of air travel. The glamour fit her well, her style perfectly suited to jetting off to Paris, London or Madrid. She was based in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. While all wonderful, she considered the time spent in Chicago the best time of her life, with great TWA friends a highlight. Though the jet age had begun before she joined TWA, she had the pleasure of working on the Lockheed Constellation, a large propeller-driven plane, before TWA went all jet in 1967. Being a flight attendant was a profession she thoroughly enjoyed. Pat remained at TWA for 30 years until her retirement in 1995.
The last defining event of 1965 was Genghis’ arrival. He featured in Pat’s life and in her stories for many years. While Genghis was the first and an icon, he was followed by Bojangles, amongst others. Pat’s bond with pets was steadfast. After retirement from TWA, Pat fostered many pets, some of whom adopted her along the way. Two of her beloved pets, Jazz and Marley, predeceased Pat earlier in the year of her passing. Pat was survived by Ginger, who provided comfort during Pat’s transition.
Pat was renowned for her wit and sarcasm. Whether collected or invented, she never missed a beat in responding. Given a little time, she could win over people, noting that “with humor, you can say just about anything to anyone.”
“All good things must come to an end, even this one,” she said, pointing to herself, shortly before she departed.
Patricia Byrd Canson died on Aug. 17, 2023, near her home in Pinole, Calif. May her soul rest in everlasting peace.
Pat was preceded in death by her brother, Hugh “Buddy” Maxwell Smith Jr.
Pat is survived by siblings: Ronald Smith, Michelle Smith-Roberts, Steven Smith, Michael Smith, and Celeste Smith Webbe and Paul Smith; stepmother, Harriet Smith; sisters-in-law, Faythe Canson Clark, Veronica Handy, Leslie Smith, Dr. Althea Tyndall-Smith and Latoya Smith; brother-in-law, Donald Webbe; and nieces: Maya Clark, Nicole Smith, Jasper Ross, Kendall Smith and Alysya Smith.
She is also survived by nephews: Philip Clark, John Ross, Jr, Michael Ross, Aaron Smith, Brendan Smith, Christian Webbe, Daniel Webbe, Maxwell Smith, Miles Smith, Jayvyn Smith and Christopher Smith.
Other survivors include cousins: Carlos Smith, James (Frankie) Smith, Janice Smith Varlack, Jean (Jeanie) Smith, Jacqueline (Jackie) Smith Wynter, Milton Turnbull, Leroy Smith, Diana Smith Stewart, Marguerite Smith Dredden, Jeffrey Smith, Gary Smith, Juel Smith Norton, Imani Burnett, Phyllis Goodman and Jacqueline Hall, cousins-in-law: Dr. Patricia Canson, and Aurin Canson; great nephews: Nyah Henry Jr., Jeremiah Henry and John Ross III; many other relatives; and special friends: Sheila Webb and Monica diFalco.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held at 4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at Pavilion 4 on Magens Bay.
