Yesterday, the Gulf Breeze Zoo announced that its founder, Walter “Pat” Quinn, passed away on December 4th.
In a statement, Eric Mogensen, CEO of Zoofari Parks, which owns the Gulf Breeze Zoo, described Quinn as a true “man of the people.”
“Pat loved our community and its people,” he wrote. “He continued to be a stalwart supporter of the zoo even after retirement. We could not have found a better person to market his love of the zoo to the community than Pat. There is not a day that goes by when walking the zoo that I don’t think of him and what he built and accomplished. Words cannot convey our true sense of loss.”
Mogensen continued by saying that Quinn was not only a dear friend, but a mentor for four decade.
- “He goes knowing that he leaves behind a true legacy of building his zoo, our continued commitment to wildlife conservation in his honor, and bringing enjoyment to thousands of visitors annually,” he added. “A man like Pat can never be replaced and will surely never be forgotten. He can be very proud of that.”