Affectionately known as Mom Pat, she was the graceful, loving matriarch, a loyal friend and a true original. Quick with a smile, she brightened every room that she entered. She was the consummate hostess, cook and storyteller, a voracious reader and a believer in the power of a handwritten letter.

Pat graduated from the University of California-Berkeley and was proud fan of the Golden Bears, the Tar Heels and any team for which her grandchildren competed.

Pat was born in Aurora, Neb., to Maybelle Hunter and Frisbie Orton Arnold and moved to Pasadena, Calif., during the first year of her life. Pat and her husband John and daughters Margie, Sally, and Nancy moved to Asheville in 1958. She loved her community and was an active member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church and a lifelong volunteer.

Pat made lasting friendships everywhere she went. She made good grammar a cause and good manners an imperative. Her grandchildren nicknamed her "Miss Manners." She was a gifted writer, and loved keeping up with friends and family.

To her family, she was a role model, confidant, and source of great joy.

Married for 68 years, Pat is survived by her best friend and loving husband, John William Erichson of Asheville; daughter Margie and son-in-law Tom Haber of Chapel Hill; daughter Sally Lewis of Chapel Hill; daughter Nancy and son-in-law Bill Peterson of Piedmont, Calif.; grandchildren John Haber and wife Anna of Atlanta, Ga., Meg and husband Mark Skerik of New York, N.Y.; Eric Haber of San Francisco, Calif.; Nancy Lewis of Charlotte; Hunter Lewis of New York, N.Y.; John Lewis of Atlanta, Ga.; Matthew Peterson of New York, N.Y.; Scott Peterson of San Francisco, Calif.; and Sally Peterson of Boulder, Colo.; and great grandchild Adelyn Skerik.

A celebration of Pat's life will be held in Asheville at a date to be announced. In lieu flowers, please make donations to Meals on Wheels and Care Partners Foundation/Hospice Foundation, both of Asheville.