Patricia (Winton) McLeod

YORK, Maine - Patricia Winton McLeod was the daughter of Betty Sewall and Robert Winton. She grew up on Organug Road in York alongside her brother and sister in the 1940s and 50s, and she passed away on a summer morning, Thursday, July 23, 2020, in her family home just down the street, surrounded by family and so much that she loved.

Growing up Trisha was a tomboy who rode horses and loved sports-she was proud to be able to throw a baseball just like the boys. She graduated York High School in 1965 and then from UNH in 1969 with physical education degree. She began teaching and coaching at Tantasqua High School in Sturbridge, Mass., where she met and married a fellow teacher, Donald Ulrich, and they started a family with two boys in the 1970s.

The years ahead were full of energy and joy. Trisha loved projects and hobbies, photography, making furniture, wood carvings, and stained glass. She could always be found working outdoors, driving a tractor, fixing things. Her combination of talent and stubborn persistence made her good at a lot of things.

Her best skill of all, however, was being a mother. In summers, she piloted a 13-foot Whaler through high seas; in winter, she would drive hours to the mountains on snow days; and everything else in between. She made everything special. As the years went on she visited her boys wherever they might be found-as far away as Tibet even. And wherever she ended up, she was the first to suggest a tequila shot and the last to suggest going home.

Trisha also had many wonderful years with her second husband Dick McLeod, who died in 2018, and their golden labs, traveling to their favorite spots and playing golf. They never stopped working on Trisha's golf swing, which was beautiful until the end.

Trisha had a winner's instinct and she fought Parkinson's with true grit. We are sad Trisha will no longer be seen puttering around her home, or reaching out for a guiding hand. But there is also happiness in knowing she can now add herself back into our hearts and memories as the Trisha who was so quick on her feet, full of genuine kindness and humor, game for anything, and who never let anyone miss happy hour.

She leaves behind her nieces and nephews; her brother David Winton and sister Michel Ulm; Donald Ulrich, who was there through the end, and her two boys, Ryan and Tyler. Most importantly, Patricia passed on, ever irreverent about what lies ahead, knowing she lived a marvelous life, knowing the legacy she left behind, and knowing how much she was loved.
 

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