Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Modesto Educator, Avid Rock Climber Dies in Yosemite
GV-Wire
By Jody Murray
Published 6 years ago on
June 17, 2019

Share

The mountain-climbing community and a Modesto middle school are mourning the death of a climber in Yosemite National Park.
Patricia “Trish” Stoops died June 8 while negotiating Middle Cathedral Rock, a popular venue for climbers located south of El Capitan. A death notice posted by a funeral home listed her age as 57.

“Goodbye to my dear, 20-year climbing friend. I will miss your adventurous spirit.” — Mary Lohrman, posted on climbers message board
Stoops was a teacher’s aide at Glick Middle School in Modesto and a member of the Southern California Mountaineers Association. A tribute to Stoops was posted on a message forum for climbers.
Late last year, Stoops and Glick teacher Jamey Olney led a group of students to Paradise, the Northern California town ravaged by the Camp Fire. The students’ cleanup efforts in Paradise grew out of a project Stoops and Glick started at the school called The H.O.P.E. Project — Helping Other People Everywhere.
A few days after the incident in Yosemite, Olney posted a tribute to her friend on Facebook:

The tributes continued on the Mountain Project forum, where people shared their memories of Stoops.

Carrying On in Her Memory

“I never met a climber more dedicated to supporting our tribe than Trish,” Pam Neal wrote. “She selflessly gave of her time, leading skills, friendship, and humor to anyone in the vicinity. Funny, spontaneous, gregarious, and sincere, Trish made an impression on anyone she met.”
Mary Lohrman added: “Goodbye to my dear, 20-year climbing friend. I will miss your adventurous spirit.”
Olney said in her Facebook post that she and her H.O.P.E. Project students would go forward with plans to help build a home for a family in Mexico. A Gofundme account for the homebuilding initiative was several thousand dollars short of its goal as of Monday afternoon.
“We are going to see this project to completion,” Olney wrote, “and honor the life and legacy of an angel here on Earth.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

General Is a Good Boy — in English and Spanish

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

8 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

12 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. approved a new COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company&#...

8 hours ago

8 hours ago

FDA Approves Moderna’s New Lower-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine

8 hours ago

Cabrera, Three Relievers Combine to Lead Marlins to Win Over Giants

8 hours ago

Spike in Steel Tariffs Could Imperil Trump Promise of Lower Grocery Prices

8 hours ago

Dodgers’ Mookie Betts Out With Broken Toe After Late-Night Bedroom Mishap

Steve Hilton, a 2026 candidate for governor, speaks at a news conference on May 31, 2025, outside Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. (GV Wire/David Taub)
12 hours ago

California Gubernatorial Candidate Steve Hilton Vows to Repeal Transgender Athlete Law

15 hours ago

Trans Athlete Competes in California Championships in Clovis Despite National Controversy

16 hours ago

Tim Walz Urges Democrats to Fight Back Harder Against ‘Bully’ Trump

16 hours ago

US Defense Secretary Warns Indo-Pacific Allies of ‘Imminent’ Threat From China

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend