Patrick Phelan has deep local roots. His great-grandfather Jeffrey was an immigrant from Ireland in 1851 in the wake of the Famine, He worked first in Kentucky coal mines, returned to Ireland to marry, and then moved to California. Jeffrey’s grandson, Daniel, born in Los Berros in 1900, married into another pioneering Arroyo Grande family when he wed Dorothy Phoenix. Their son, Daniel Jr., was president of the SLO chapter of the California Cattlemen's Association. Patrick became a third-generation cattleman and worked alongside his father for many years. An uncle, Cyril “Gus” Phelan, was among those who safeguarded the farms of their Japanese-American friends during World War II.
 

Patsy's grandfather, John Silva, emigrated to America at age 18 in 1893 from the Azores. He settled in the Arroyo Grande 1901 and established a family farm in the Branch District of the Upper Arroyo Grande Valley. Her father, Manuel, grew up on the Silva Brothers ranch in the Upper Arroyo Grande Valley on land the family farmed for 58 years. He married Angie Reis in 1935. Both Manuel and his brother Johnny were known for their work ethic, their church involvement (St. Patrick's) and for their infallible kindness. Her parents were married for fifty-two years; Pat and Patsy celebrated their fifty-third anniversary in January.