Founder of epilepsy foundation in upstate New York, former resident
Pat Thurston. (Courtesy photo)
Patricia Ladd Thurston, a longtime advocate for epilepsy support services, died Dec. 6, 2016, in Encinitas, California, five days before her 87th birthday. She was the wife of Bill Thurston, a longtime Harvard resident and founder of the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden on Bolton Road.
Pat Thurston was born and raised in New York, not far from New York City, where she met her first husband, Norman Bliss Ladd. They had seven children and lived in various locations in upstate New York. Eventually the couple divorced, and Pat moved to Bloomington, Indiana, where she managed a branch office of Manpower Inc. (now ManpowerGroup).
Moving back to the Rochester, New York, area later, Pat worked for Xerox. One of her daughters had epilepsy, and Pat was dismayed to find no support services nearby. She applied for and received a one-year leave of absence from Xerox, during which she started Epilepsy Foundation Rochester-Syracuse-Binghamton, which grew into a very successful support organization. Several years ago Pat and Bill attended the foundation’s 30th anniversary celebration, where Pat was honored as its founder.
Pat was living alone in Acton in 2000 when she met Bill Thurston, whose first wife, Ginny, had died several years earlier. Pat and Bill were married Aug. 4, 2001, in the garden at Bill’s house on Bolton Road. Later they moved to Harvard Green, where they lived for four years. In 2006 the couple moved to Encinitas, California, where they enjoyed the warm winters for the past 10 years. Pat enjoyed reading, decorating her home both indoors and out, and meeting new people. But most of all, she took pleasure in finding ways to help others.
Recently, Bill and Pat decided to return to New England, and both were looking forward to a move to West Concord in January.
In addition to her husband, Pat is survived by her seven children: Norman Ladd of Bloomington, Indiana; J. Christopher Ladd of Weston, Connecticut; Betsey Lebow of Westport, Connecticut; James Ladd of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; Sue Ladd of Canandaigua, New York; Patricia Ladd of Phoenix, Arizona; and Carrie Pavan of Brunswick, Maine; and by their spouses, children, and grandchildren.
Burial will be at Harvard’s Bellevue Cemetery in the spring, followed by a memorial gathering of the Ladd and Thurston families.
