Patricia Ellen Pendleton

Patricia Ellen (Clark) Pendleton was the second of four children born to Arthur C. Clark and Mildred Gibson Clark (Dahlin) in Kansas City, MO on July 15, 1938. Pat passed away peacefully in her sleep on June 30, 2024 at her Millhaven home, just shy of her 86th birthday.

Pat spent her first twelve years in Kansas City with her family including her two sisters and one younger brother. She remembered being fascinated by the large railroad locomotives that would come in and out of Union Station, especially watching her father returning on the train from the army. In the late 1940’s, she was inspired even more when the new Lockheed Constellation “Connie” airplanes began flying overhead to and from the Kansas City Municipal Airport. She would go on to form a lifelong bond with the Connie planes, that were considered the Queens of the Sky in those days.

Pat graduated high school while the family was living in Manhattan, KS. She attended college for the next few years, at Emporia State College, KCU (UMKC), and finally KU, until she was hired by TWA as a stewardess. She began her training in February 1960 and would continue to fly proudly for TWA for the next 28 years. Based in Kansas City, Pat flew in the Connies until they were retired in 1967. She went on to fly 747s on international routes to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Pat was happy that her career allowed her to cross the United States, as well as the world. She often shared her love of travel with her mother, stepfather, and ex-husband Ken Pendleton as well, vacationing around the globe together.

In her career, she was able to make others safe and comfortable flying on the Lockheed C-69 Constellations (Connie) and the Lockheed “G” Constellation (Super-Connie). Trans World Airline (TWA) was headquartered in Kansas City MO, with intercontinental flights departing from the Kansas City Municipal Airport. Later, the FAA declared the Municipal Airport "the most dangerous major airport in the country" due to the height of Quality Hill and the downtown skyline. By 1972, a new airport was constructed to serve Kansas City, which is now the Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Pat’s beloved TWA opted to make St. Louis Lambert Airport a major hub, allowing her to spend time with dear St. Louis cousins, Charlene Doty and Bonnie Cunningham.

After over twenty-eight years of service as a stewardess, Pat retired and found a new passion as a volunteer with the Save A Connie organization. She worked alongside other TWA retirees, many of which were treasured friends from her years in the sky, as they restored one of the original Connie airplanes and then would fly it to regional airshows. She also became a volunteer tour guide at the Airline History Museum, where she brought her delightful sense of humor, wonderful insight and love of flying.

Pat found true companionship in her later years when she reconnected with Dennis (Denny) Maloney, a fellow TWA retiree. In addition, Pat was also an active member of the Garden Club and the Clipped Wings group of retired flight attendants.

Pat had a life-long love of pets from her mother’s cocker spaniels to her own beloved German Shepherds, Alphie and Delilah and treasured cat, Patches. Knowing the importance of furry friend, Pat generously supported the full cost of training a service dog for the blind each year, for over two decades. She believed in the life-changing impact of trained dogs for those in need and therefore generously supported her favorite charity, Leader Dogs for the Blind.

In 2002, Pat found her neighborhood family when she purchased her home in Millhaven. She treasured her neighbors who would share laughter, stories, wine, and greetings, along with their children and beloved pets. Last year she was delighted by a surprise neighborhood birthday party in her honor. Pat felt loved and cared for in her home and was grateful for her neighborhood family.

Pat was preceded in death by her parents, Mildred Dahlin and Arthur C. Clark, and her only brother, Dale Clark. She also survived the loss of her companion, Denny Maloney. Pat is survived by her sisters Carollyn Hetu, of Quebec, Canada, and Kathryn Carl of Ashland, Kansas, as well as five nieces.

A celebration of life will be held at 4:00p.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at the Amos Family Funeral Home and Crematory with private burial at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, please remember Pat through kind donations to Leader Dogs for the Blind (leaderdog.org) or the Airline History Museum (airlinehistory.org).