Tribute: Patricia (Pat) Downes (née Anderson)

Pat Downes had a long association with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, joining in the early 1950s and becoming a Fellow. She was a regular reader of The Pharmaceutical Journal until recent years, when Alzheimer’s disease and dementia sadly took her away from her family on 28 October 2019 — three months shy of her 90th birthday.

As an able scholar, Pat read pharmacy at Manchester University and became a hospital pharmacist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, for a short while. She then moved to London where she completed a PhD at Chelsea College, London University, publishing her final thesis in 1961. She lectured at Chelsea College and among her students was her future husband, Glyn, a late entrant to university after completing his national service. Pat and Glyn went on to enjoy 46 years of marriage before Glyn’s death in 2006.

During her time at Chelsea College, Pat published some papers along with Joe Beckett, among others. She was good friends with Chris Bean, Georgie and Geoffrey Jolliffe and Thelma McGuckin (all of whom were godparents to Pat’s two children Chris and Penny), plus many more friends with whom Pat kept in touch with for many years.

Family life took Pat away from Chelsea in the 1970s and then she used her acquired skills in teaching, and went on to become head of science in a large secondary school.

Pat lived a rich and full life and was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

For anyone who would wish to make a charitable donation in memory of Pat, any contributions can be made to Dementia UK.

Chris and Penny Downes 

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, Tribute: Patricia (Pat) Downes (née Anderson);Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2019.20207371

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