Patrick (Pat) Lynn Harden : August 3rd, 1942 - May 15th, 2024

Pat Harden, 81, passed away due to ALS on May 15th, 2024, surrounded by his loving family and dedicated caregivers at the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Southwest Health Center Hospice Unit.

He was born in Seymour, Texas on August 3rd, 1942. The family lived in west Texas and later moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma. When he was in first grade, the family moved to Skiatook, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Skiatook High School in 1960. He was an avid athlete, participating in all sports, but particularly loved playing baseball.

Pat served in the United States Air Force from 1960 to 1964, where he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Cape Canaveral, Florida. Following his discharge from the Air Force, he earned his BA in Political Science at the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg, Mississippi).

In the early 1970s, he moved to Atlanta where he worked for Allstate Insurance and Coca Cola. While working for Coca Cola, he spent two years traveling the US, visiting many cities and towns in every state. Coke deployed a team of young men across the country to secretly take samples from restaurants and bars of the cola product they sold. These samples were returned to Atlanta for testing to protect any trademark violations. After two years of constant travel, he left Coca Cola and spent time in the NW Coast region, including the Olympic Peninsula, British Columbia, and Alaska.

In 1975, Pat returned to Oklahoma where he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma), to pursue an MA in Anthropology. It was at this time that he participated as research assistant to Dr. Richard Pailes on the Rio Sonora Archaeological Project in Sonora, Mexico. His work in the Sonoran River Valley began his love of southwest archaeology and the Sonoran desert. In addition to his work in Mexico, he worked on several archaeological projects in Oklahoma and Arkansas, including excavations at Sliding Slab Rock Shelter.

In 1979, he left Oklahoma to pursue his interest in southwest archaeology where he joined the Dolores Archaeological Project in Dolores, Colorado. He completed his MA degree at Washington State University (Corvalis, Washington). In 1981, Pat, along with Barry Hibbets, opened La Plata Archaeological Consultants in Dolores, Colorado. This firm became one of the larger archaeological consulting firms in the region, where Pat individually recorded thousands of archaeological sites in the Four Corners Region. He frequently took helicopter rides, along with his dog, Moose, into the backcountry regions during the seismic testing boom of the region. He was a well-known and loved member of the Dolores community for many years.

In 1988, Pat and Barry sold La Plata Archaeological Consultants and Pat pursued his new love, exploring Belize, which captured his heart. He was warmly welcomed into the Monkey River, Belize community.

On April 9th, 1994, he married Susan Thomas in Cortez, Colorado. They recently celebrated 30 years of marriage. He continued to keep his hand in Four Corners archaeology when he opened Western Archaeological Services, which he operated until 2008 when he retired.

Pat and Susan purchased a Dever 44 power yacht, Sueños Dulce, and took off on a five year adventure exploring the western Caribbean. Wonderful times were spent exploring regions of Belize, the Rio Dulce area of Guatemala, the Bay Islands of Honduras, Isla de Providencia, and Panama. Many new friends were made along the way. In 2013, they sold Sueños Dulce and purchased a small acreage in the Caldera area of western Panama, where he continued to follow his passion of landscaping and gardening. He even dabbled a bit with coffee growing. In 2018, Pat and Susan returned to the US and eventually settled in Mammoth, Arizona, where he was residing at the time of his death.

Pat enjoyed passing the time puttering around his property. He loved to garden, fish, and was an all-around handyman. He also loved all his dogs, most recently, Chamba. He loved travel of any kind. Road trips with no particular destination in mind were some of his favorite trips. He most enjoyed passing the time with family and friends on a patio or deck enjoying good conversation and company. When people describe Pat, they often say he was such a great guy and loyal friend to all who knew him.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents: Che Che Lee Williams Harden Galentine and John Francis Harden, half brother: Jack Harden, and stepdaughter: Lindsay Grindstaff. He is survived by his wife: Susan (of the home), sister: Peggy Harden and husband Doug Stanley (of Seattle, Washington), daughter: Robin Matthews and partner Rob Pryor (of Aztec, New Mexico), daughter: Kecia Pettey (of Baltimore, Maryland), stepson: Geoff Baugh (of the Netherlands), granddaughter: Charlotte (of Aztec, New Mexico), granddaughter: Atalisa (of Detroit, Michigan), sister-in-law: Paula Grace and brother-in-law Ron Grace (of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), and many beloved cousins and friends.

We want to especially thank all of the caregivers and support staff of the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care Center (Tucson, Arizona). The ALS team and the Hospice Unit of his facility provided Pat care and comfort during his transition.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorials in Pat's honor can be made to the ALS Association (www.als.org) or the Montezuma Land Conservancy (www.montezumaland.org).