Veterans First Program
Dr. Patricia “Pat” H. Wheeler
1940–2025
Dr. Patricia “Pat” H. Wheeler devoted her life to education, service, animals, music, family, and her community. A lifelong learner and volunteer, she built a distinguished career in educational research before discovering a second calling as a therapy-dog handler and advocate. In her later years, she became an author, musician, world traveler, and philanthropist whose generosity continues through scholarships supporting students preparing for careers of service.
Early Life in Rochester
Patricia H. Wheeler was born in 1940 and raised with her two sisters in Rochester, New York. Her childhood was shaped by hard work, family, education, and music. She picked fruit during the summers and learned to endure the harsh winds and winters coming off Lake Ontario. Music was an important part of her life from an early age, and she played the flute in her school band.
Her love of music remained with her throughout her life. She later performed with numerous community concert bands and remained an active flute musician for decades.
Education
Pat attended the University of Rochester, studying psychology and continuing her education in counseling. Her Rochester connection is documented in the university's alumni publications, which identify her as Patricia Wheeler ’62, ’65W (Mas).
She later earned an MBA in management from Armstrong College in Berkeley, California, and ultimately earned her Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983.
Education was not simply a career for Pat. It became one of the central themes of her life, influencing both her professional work and her later philanthropic efforts.
A Career in Educational Research
After graduating from the University of Rochester, Pat moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where she began her professional career with the Educational Testing Service (ETS).
She spent approximately 24 years with ETS, working in educational research, testing, evaluation, and assessment. After moving to California, she worked for ETS West in Berkeley while living in Livermore.
She later founded and served as president of EREAPA Associates, an educational research and evaluation consulting organization in Livermore.
Her professional work included research and publications concerning teacher evaluation, classroom observation, parent involvement, test-score interpretation, performance assessment, and educational measurement. She also co-authored Resource Handbook on Performance Assessment and Measurement, a reference work on performance assessment and educational measurement.
These years established Pat as a serious education researcher and consultant long before she became known locally for her therapy-dog work.
Meeting Paul
While working at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, Pat's roommate arranged a double date with Paul Wheeler, a physics graduate student from Kansas City.
It was Pat's first romance—and her last.
The couple married on September 3, 1966, only six months after meeting. Soon afterward, they moved west to California. Paul joined Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, while Pat worked for ETS West in Berkeley.
Pat commuted daily between Livermore and Berkeley in her distinctive Bermuda Blue Volkswagen Beetle.
The couple eventually had two sons, Paul (“PK”) and Mike.
Motherhood and Scouting
Pat was deeply involved in her sons' education and development. She became heavily involved with their Boy Scout troops, serving as an “advancement coordinator” and helping scouts complete their merit badges.
Both of her sons ultimately became Eagle Scouts.
Her commitment to scouting was part of a larger philosophy of service. She encouraged her sons to use their skills to help others, and their Eagle Scout projects reflected those values.
One of those projects would lead to an important chapter of Pat's own life.
Service to Veterans
Pat began volunteering at the Livermore VA in 1987, when her younger son was working on his Eagle Scout project there. She would drive him to the VA, then stay and help serve food and volunteer herself.
Her commitment to veterans continued for decades.
This history is important because Pat's service to veterans began years before her therapy-dog career. Her later work bringing therapy dogs to veterans was an extension of a commitment that had already become part of her life.
She was also a devoted blood donor and encouraged others to volunteer and give back to their communities.
Family and Travel
Pat and Paul shared a love of travel. Their international adventures began with a 1975 sweepstakes trip to New Zealand.
Over the years, Pat traveled extensively, visiting more than 50 countries and every continent except Australia. She jokingly maintained that New Zealand should count as Australia for purposes of her continent tally.
Travel gave Pat a broad appreciation for the world and reflected her lifelong curiosity and willingness to experience new things.
The Loss of Paul and a New Beginning
Paul died in 2001, a devastating loss that changed the direction of Pat's life.
That same year brought another important milestone: the birth of her first grandchild, Rebecca, followed by Kate, Emily, and Jonathan, giving Pat four grandchildren.
Following Paul's death, Pat found renewed purpose through music, volunteer work, family, and eventually therapy dogs.
Discovering Therapy Dogs
After Paul's death, Pat happened to see a television program about therapy dogs on Animal Planet.
Inspired by what she saw, she decided to get a Labrador. In September 2001, she obtained a Labrador from a breeder in Palo Alto and named him Lawrence the Livermore Lab, a tribute to the Livermore community and to Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, where her husband had worked.
In November 2002, Lawrence became registered as a therapy dog through the Valley Humane Society. The following month, Pat and Lawrence began visiting a local facility serving people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
The experience changed Pat's life.
Lawrence seemed to have a natural ability to recognize when people needed companionship. Pat later recalled that she could sometimes enter a room unsure what to say, while Lawrence immediately seemed to know what to do.
Local coverage of the early therapy-dog program documents Wheeler's work with Lawrence and Albert, including their service at the Livermore VA.
Lawrence and the Power of a Therapy Dog
One of Pat's most memorable experiences occurred at the VA.
A patient whom Lawrence had visited regularly had not been seen for several weeks. When Lawrence appeared in the man's doorway, the patient said he was glad to see him and that he had missed him. He then mentioned that doctors had told him he needed to walk every day.
Lawrence immediately reacted to the word “walk.”
The patient moved the items from his wheelchair and began pushing himself down the hallway with Lawrence beside him. They continued all the way to the nurses' station.
Staff members were astonished. They had been unable to persuade the man to leave his room on his own for years.
The experience deeply affected Pat and inspired her to begin collecting stories and testimonials about therapy dogs and the people whose lives they touched.
Those stories eventually became her first book.
A Second Career with Therapy Dogs
What began as volunteering gradually became a second career.
Over the years, Pat and her dogs visited veterans, nursing homes, assisted-living communities, Alzheimer's facilities, schools, homeless shelters, children with chronic illnesses, people with developmental disabilities, and other populations in need of comfort and connection.
At Las Positas College, Pat became particularly well known for bringing her therapy dogs to campus. The college's 2017 Community Education publication describes her as a therapy-dog handler working with the Student Health Center and Veterans First Program to bring therapy dogs to students.
In 2017, Las Positas College honored Pat with its Friend of the College Award, which she accepted on behalf of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. The college noted that the therapy dogs had visited campus many times to support students' success and mental health.
Pat also served as a tester and observer for newly trained therapy-dog teams in the Bay Area.
According to the Las Positas College scholarship established in her memory, all four of her therapy dogs earned the AKC Therapy Dogs Distinguished title and the Canine Good Citizen Award.
Lawrence, Albert, Maddie and Wylie
Four dogs became central to Pat's therapy-dog story:
Lawrence, Albert, Maddie, and Wylie.
Lawrence was her first therapy dog and the animal who introduced her to the extraordinary possibilities of animal-assisted service.
Albert became another important therapy companion, working with Pat at veterans' facilities, assisted-living communities, schools, and other locations.
Pat later worked with Maddie and Wylie, who continued the tradition established by the earlier dogs.
Lawrence died in December 2013, followed only two weeks later by Albert.
Maddie then carried on much of their work.
Pat's therapy-dog career ultimately accumulated thousands of hours of service, with later accounts placing the combined total for her dogs at more than 4,000 hours.
Successful Tails
Pat's first book grew directly from her therapy-dog experiences.
In 2012, she published:
Successful Tails: The Wonders of Therapy Dogs
The book collected stories, testimonials, photographs, and experiences demonstrating the emotional and practical impact therapy dogs could have.
The book was inspired by the many interactions Pat witnessed during her therapy visits, particularly the profound connections between dogs and people who were elderly, ill, isolated, or struggling.
Therapy Dogs in Action
In 2019, Pat published her second therapy-dog book:
Therapy Dogs in Action: Their Stories of Service and Love
The book continued documenting the relationships between therapy dogs and the people they served.
Pat's two therapy-dog books became an important part of her legacy, preserving stories that she believed demonstrated the extraordinary ability of animals to bring comfort, connection, and joy.
A Golden Eagle
Pat's interests eventually expanded beyond dogs.
In 2020, she published:
Amazon, the Golden Eagle: Her Story of Overcoming a Tough Start
The book tells the story of a golden-eagle nestling that fell approximately 700 feet from her nest in southeastern Oregon.
Amazon survived but suffered two broken wings. One wing did not heal sufficiently for her to fly, so she could not be returned to the wild. The Cascades Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon, helped save her life and became her home.
Pat's publisher, Luminare Press, provides information about both Amazon, the Golden Eagle and her later book Musical Laughs.
Music and Musical Laughs
Music remained one of Pat's lifelong passions.
She played flute and performed with numerous community concert bands. Over the years, she accumulated hundreds of music jokes and kept them in a folder on her computer.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided to turn those jokes into a book.
In 2021, she published:
Musical Laughs: Notes to Brighten Up Your Day
Her granddaughter Rebecca illustrated the book.
Luminare Press lists the book as a June 2021 release and describes it as a collection of musical jokes and anecdotes drawn from Pat's lifelong love of music.
Pat's musical life also connected her with the local arts community. She was a member of the Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild, where her name appears in the Guild's membership records.
Community Organizations and Service
Pat's commitment to service extended well beyond therapy dogs.
She was involved with Veterans Affairs, Phi Delta Kappa, the Daughters of the American Revolution, Boy Scouts, blood-donation efforts, community music organizations, and other local causes.
Her involvement with Phi Delta Kappa, an organization associated with professional educators, is documented in local community listings from the Tri-Valley.
She was also active with the Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild, where she participated in the Guild's activities and served on its nominating committee.
Her life repeatedly demonstrated the same philosophy: use whatever gifts you have—education, music, animals, time, knowledge, or resources—to make life better for other people.
Philanthropy and Scholarships
Education remained central to Pat's life even after her professional career ended.
She ultimately founded scholarships at three colleges, creating a lasting way for her values to benefit future generations.
One of those scholarships is the Dr. Patricia H. Wheeler Memorial First Responders Scholarship Fund at Las Positas College.
The scholarship supports students preparing for careers devoted to serving their communities. Eligible fields include Administration of Justice, Allied Health/Pre-RN, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Medical Technologies, Emergency Medical Responders, Fire Academy and Fire Science, Public Health, Nutrition and Dietetics, Occupational Safety, Social Work and Human Services, Psychology, and related programs.
The scholarship is specifically connected to Pat's service legacy. Las Positas College describes her as a dedicated educator, volunteer, and therapy-dog handler whose dogs had made a profound impact on students and people in many different settings.
The college continues to provide information about the scholarship and ways to support the fund through its Veterans First Program.
A Life Built Around Service
Looking across Pat's life, a remarkable pattern emerges.
She began with education and research.
She devoted herself to raising her sons and helping them become Eagle Scouts.
She volunteered at the VA and donated blood.
After losing her husband, she found a new calling through therapy dogs.
She turned those experiences into books.
She continued performing music, traveling, writing, and participating in community organizations.
And she established scholarships so that other people could receive educational opportunities and prepare for careers dedicated to helping their communities.
Her interests were diverse, but her purpose was remarkably consistent:
help people, keep learning, stay connected, and give something back.
Final Years
Pat spent her final months at Rosewood Gardens in Livermore, a place she had often visited with her therapy dogs.
She died on October 9, 2025, in Livermore, California, a few weeks before her 85th birthday.
The Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild later recorded her death in its membership history.
Her connection with the community continued even after her death. In January 2026, the City of Livermore recorded a Celebration of Life for Pat Wheeler, with Mayor John Marchand recognizing her service to veterans through her work and her service dogs.
And one of the most touching details of her obituary remains:
Maddie continues those visits today.
Pat's legacy therefore lives on in many forms—in the people who remember her, in the therapy-dog work she inspired, in her books and music, and in the students who receive educational assistance through the scholarships she established.
Dr. Patricia “Pat” H. Wheeler leaves behind more than a résumé of accomplishments. She leaves a model of a life spent turning education, compassion, curiosity, music, animals, and generosity into service to others.