Lory Patrick obit

Lory Patrick, ‘Tales of Wells Fargo’ Actress and Widow of Disney Star Dean Jones, Dies at 92

She and the Disney actor known for ‘That Darn Cat!’ and ‘The Love Bug’ were married for 42 years until his 2015 death. 

She was not on the list.

Lory Patrick, who portrayed a neighbor of Dale Robertson’s character on NBC’s Tales of Wells Fargo and appeared on such other shows as Wagon Train, Dr. Kildare and Bonanza, has died. She was 92.

Patrick died Jan. 26 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, a publicist announced.

Patrick was married to Dean Jones, the star of such classic Disney family films as That Darn Cat!, The Love Bug and The Shaggy D.A., for 42 years until his September 2015 death from Parkinson’s disease at age 84.

Her first husband was late science-fiction writer Harlan Ellison; they were married and divorced in 1966, and she was the third of his five wives.

Soon after signing a contract with Universal in 1961, Patrick appeared on an episode of The Loretta Young Show, then was hired to play schoolteacher Tina Swenson on Tales of Wells Fargo. Her character lives with her sister (Mary Jane Saunders) and their widowed mother, Ovie (Virginia Christine), on a San Francisco ranch next to one owned by Robertson’s Jim Hardie.

Patrick appeared on 15 episodes during the Western’s sixth and final season, when the show had been expanded to an hour.

Loretta Basham was born on April 8, 1933, in Beckley, West Virginia. After graduating from nearby Oak Hill High School, she worked as a model in Detroit and New York, where she landed a gig on the NBC game show Split Personality, before coming to Los Angeles.

Patrick also showed up on other shows including The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, It’s a Man’s World, General Electric Theater and Laramie and in such films as Surf Party (1964) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967).

She appeared on an episode of Bonanza in 1967 and did some writing for that NBC show. After retiring from acting in the late ’60s, she continued writing for TV and films, was a columnist for a writers’ magazine and as Lory Basham Jones wrote the 1993 book Hearing God.

After she married Jones in June 1973 (she was his second wife), they established a counseling ministry, served as elders for The Church on the Way in Van Nuys and founded the Christian Rescue Committee (now called Christian Rescue Fund), an organization that “provides a way of escape” to Jews, Christians and others persecuted for their faith.

In 1984, she directed the one-man play St. John in Exile that starring her husband. Jones then reprised the role of the disciple for a 1986 film. After his death, she moved from Tarzana to Gettysburg to spend time with family and to continue her writing and passion for art.

Survivors include her three children, Caroline (and her husband, Steve), Deanna (Tom) and Michael (Dion); eight grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; her brothers, Richard, Tom and Paul; and her sister, Carol. She was preceded in death by two other brothers, Charles and David.

A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. on April 25 at Mossy Living World Church in Scarbro, West Virginia. Donations in her name can be made to that church, Pentecost Walk or the Christian Rescue Fund.

Actress

This Is the Life (1952)

This Is the Life

6.5

TV Series

Mary

1967

1 episode

 

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

7.2

Receptionist

1967

 

Bonanza (1959)

Bonanza

7.3

TV Series

Rita

1967

1 episode

 

Dr. Kildare (1961)

Dr. Kildare

7.0

TV Series

Nurse Betty Taylor

1965

3 episodes

 

Death Valley Days (1952)

Death Valley Days

7.5

TV Series

Winifred Sweet

1964

1 episode

 

Surf Party (1964)

Surf Party

4.4

Sylvia Dempster

1964

 

John McIntire in Wagon Train (1957)

Wagon Train

7.6

TV Series

LauraRachel LevyNancy Davis

1962–1963

3 episodes

 

Laramie (1959)

Laramie

7.7

TV Series

Laurie McGovern

1963

1 episode

 

Bob Denver and Dwayne Hickman in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959)

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

7.7

TV Series

Cecily Atwater

1963

1 episode

 

Ted Bessell, Randy Boone, Michael Burns, Glenn Corbett, Harry Harvey, and Peter Tewksbury in It's a Man's World (1962)

It's a Man's World

7.9

TV Series

Pat Barber

1963

1 episode

 

Fred Astaire in Alcoa Premiere (1961)

Alcoa Premiere

7.1

TV Series

Maxine Summer

1962

1 episode

 

Wide Country (1962)

Wide Country

8.0

TV Series

Georgina

1962

1 episode

 

Harriet Nelson, David Nelson, Ozzie Nelson, and Ricky Nelson in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952)

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

7.4

TV Series

Lory West

1962

1 episode

 

Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)

General Electric Theater

6.8

TV Series

Secretary

1962

1 episode

 

Dale Robertson in Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)

Tales of Wells Fargo

7.9

TV Series

Tina SwensonTina

1961–1962

15 episodes

 

The Case of the Dangerous Robin (1960)

The Case of the Dangerous Robin

7.8

TV Series

1961

1 episode

 

Loretta Young in The Loretta Young Show (1953)

The Loretta Young Show

7.5

TV Series

Ruth Douglas

1961

1 episode

 

Additional Crew

St. John in Exile (1986)

St. John in Exile

8.2

stage director (as Lory Basham Jones)

1986

 

Soundtrack

Surf Party (1964)

Surf Party

4.4

performer: "Never Comin' Back"

1964

 

Self

Matthew Crouch and Laurie Crouch in Praise the Lord (1973)

Praise the Lord

2.4

TV Series

Self (as Lory Jones)

2000–2006

2 episodes

 

Archive Footage

Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon (1961)

Gunfight at Black Horse Canyon

5.4

TV Movie

Tina (archive footage)

1961