Patricia Anne Cameron Lang, 84, of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2026 at Burlington House Healthcare Center from complications related to dementia and COPD. She had been a resident at Burlington House for 6.5 years. By Patricia’s side were her daughter Lisa Howe, son Rick Phillips, and granddaughter Jesselyn Alvarado Ballestero, as well as Jesselyn’s wife Monique.

Born March 24, 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Clyde and Dorothy Cameron (née Walls), Patricia grew up playing with her siblings in the soft dirt around her neighborhood, where many extended family members also lived. In the mid-1950s, her parents and siblings relocated to Alhambra, California, where Patricia attended Alhambra High School. At age 15, she left school without graduating to enter the workforce.

In 1965, Patricia married Richard Gerald Phillips in Alhambra, and together they had three children: Lisa Amber, Richard Eric, and Shanna Leigh. Though they divorced several years later, Patricia made every effort to make space for Richard in the lives of their growing children, including him for years in birthdays and extended family holiday celebrations. As a single mother, Patricia raised her three children, making sure they had a safe home, nutritious food, clean clothes, and basic education. They did not have material wealth, so she taught her children to cultivate and appreciate the riches of nature, art, literature, and music. She sought out free and low-cost museums, concerts, books, beaches, forests and programs to enrich their lives and show her children what was possible for those with few resources but great ingenuity.

In 1975, Patricia accepted Jesus Christ as her savior and became a born again Christian. She leaned heavily on her faith to navigate life’s joys and difficulties. Patricia extensively studied the bible scripture-related books of reference and commentary that she read with an intensity bordering on obsession. Her bible was precious to her, as it contained a great deal of her underlining and many notes written in her hand. For decades, she watched her favorite television channel, Trinity Broadcast Network, singing along with the gospel musicians that appeared on the network’s shows.

Despite leaving school early, Patricia never lost her interest in education. She took a few courses when her children were young but was largely self-taught. Patricia spent many hours reading, writing stories and poetry, making art using charcoal, pastels and paint, and playing her guitar and singing. She had an extensive vocabulary, prized verbal wit, and read lots of literature as well as books about nutrition, chemistry and biology.

In 1984, Patricia self-published a chapbook of her poetry titled “The Voice of One Crying.” She sold some of her artwork and crafts at a local gallery and in hometown craft shows. As she loved doing and making things with her hands, Patricia pursued her many other interests when she was able, exploring cooking, crafts, auto repair, antique and furniture restoration, and gardening. She loved baking bread and crocheting. She was proud she could change the oil in her car and resented that her high school had prevented her from taking Auto Shop because she was a girl. She taught herself how to refinish furniture bought for a song from thrift stores and yard sales. She had an extraordinarily green thumb, growing so many ferns and flowering plants from cuttings given to her by family and neighbors that she became known for her little garden’s density and beauty. Her love of nature extended to rocks and minerals of all kinds. Patricia’s favorite places for rock-hunting were Emma Wood State Beach and Jade Cove. Few things beat an afternoon with family members, searching for pretty stones from California’s beaches, forests, and deserts. She accumulated so many books and rocks that those family members dreaded every time she had to move house.

Besides bringing up her children, for many years Patricia was sole caregiver for her mother Dorothy, who suffered dementia in the final era of her life. She did this lonely and difficult labor without respite, relief, or complaint. They shared a home in Oxnard, California, where Patricia made sure her mother had everything she needed to live her last years with family and in the greatest possible health. When her own dementia made it impossible to live alone in her home any longer, Patricia relocated from Oxnard to Cincinnati, Ohio to be closer to her children.

Patricia’s accomplishments in life were all the more remarkable because she carried the weight of a chronic and serious mental illness for most of her life. This disabling condition profoundly affected not only her relationships and ability to live a normal life but also the lives of her loved ones. The attention and care Patricia received from her immediate and extended family, although difficult to provide at times, contributed to her ability to live with maximum autonomy and in safety for a full life span, a rarity for persons living with her mental health diagnosis.

Patricia is survived by her daughter Lisa (William) Howe, son Richard Phillips, son-in- law David Alvarado, brother Charles Collins, grandchildren Amaryssia, David Jr., Jesselyn, Jurico, Sajannah, Aubrienne, and Yajirrah, and four (soon to be five) great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father Clyde Cameron, mother Dorothy Heath, stepfather Robert N. Heath, daughter Shanna Alvarado, sister Amelia Croy, and brother William Cameron.

Family and friends are cordially invited to gather from 2:00 pm until 2:30 pm, on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at the Walker Funeral Home - Walnut Hills Chapel, 2625 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati (45206). The memorial service will begin at 2:30 pm.

We invite you to take a few moments to share fond memories and words of comfort and condolence with the Lang family. Please click the "Tribute Wall" icon above and to the right, enter the information, and click "Save Post."

Walker Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the Butts family during this difficult time. Please call 513.251.6200 or visit www.HerbWalker.com for additional information.