Modesto woman dies during Yosemite rock climbing accident
57-year-old worked with special needs students at middle school
57-year-old worked with special needs students at middle school
57-year-old worked with special needs students at middle school
A Modesto woman died while rappelling at Yosemite National Park earlier this month.
Patricia Stoops, 57, died from a blunt head injury she suffered on June 8 during a rock climbing accident, officials said.
The rock climbing community created a mourning page for the experienced, avid rock climber, who was affectionately known as Trish, on The Mountain Project.
“Trish had infinite enthusiasm for climbing and life and was always so welcoming to everyone she met,” climber Bret Norum said.
Stoops worked with special-needs children at Glick Middle School.
“The first thing that stood out to me is her kindness. When you talk to her, she makes everyone feel like they matter, that they are significant,” friend Jamey Olney said. “She’s one of the few people that I know in our busy life that is completely present. When you meet her, you feel like you are the only one in the universe.”
Olney and Stoops both worked at Glick Middle School and became close friends. The two created the HOPE Project at the middle school to teach students to pay it forward.
Through the program, they taught students public service -- from handing out meals to helping Camp Fire victims in Paradise. During an upcoming trip to Mexico, the group plans to build a home for a family in need.
Olney said they will build in Stoops' honor during the July trip to Mexico.
“When she wasn’t working at the school, the outdoors was her home,” Olney said. “She lived in her van and would travel around the country, and around the world, rock climbing and doing humanitarian projects.”
During her work, Stoops met Sona Khisrawi, a 14-year-old girl who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan last year on a special visa.
“Trish met her when she was first here from Afghanistan, took her under her wing last year and helped her learn English," Olney said. "She was actually planning to take Sona on a rock climbing trip with her.”
Olney said Sona and Stoops grew very close.
“(Stoops) helped me to learn English. She helped me to rock climb,” Sona said. “She would read books with me. She helped me.”
Olney said Stoops worked for a successful architecture firm before leaving her job to join Habitat for Humanity in Modesto and, ultimately, to work at Glick Middle School.
“Really, the world was her family,” Olney said. “Some people collect cars. Some people collect stamps. Trish collected people.”