OBITUARY

Huntington Beach resident Patricia Guiver, an outspoken animal welfare advocate in Orange County and author of a series of mystery novels featuring a British pet detective, died June 13 at age 76.

According to news reports, Guiver’s son and sole survivor, Chris Guiver, said his mother died at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach. The cause of death was complications from heart surgery.

Born in Surrey, England, on Feb. 25, 1930, Guiver held several varied jobs in her lifetime. She worked on Fleet Street in London, wrote for London newspapers, worked for the United Nations in Geneva and lived in New York City working as a correspondent for British ladies’ magazines before moving to Southern California and starting her series of animal mystery novels, reports said.

The heroine and main character of Guiver’s six-book series is Delilah Doolittle, a middle-aged British widow and pet detective who solves mysteries with her trusty dog, Watson, at her side. In the books, Doolittle lives in a Southern California town called Surf City.

A resident of Huntington Beach since 1961, Guiver loosely based fictional Surf City on Huntington Beach, and Watson the dog was based on Guiver’s own former Doberman pinscher, Brandy.

Guiver founded the Orange County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1985 and achieved nonprofit status for the group in 1987. She remained the executive director and board president of the society until Dec. 31. She also co-founded the Animal Assistance League of Orange County and served on the Advisory Board of the Orange County Animal Shelter, reports said.

Guiver’s most recent works include a novel, “The Beastly Bloodline,” released in 2003, and “Animal Connections: The Complete Directory of Pet and Wildlife Resources.”

“An individual like Pat who has led others to better the world for animals helps all of us who follow to see the path more clearly,” said DiAnna Pfaff-Martin, founder of Community Animal Network in Newport Beach, who had spoken with Guiver and was familiar with her efforts.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sierra Club at www.sierraclub.org or to the Surfrider Foundation at www.surfrider.org.