Patsy Flanigan, president and chief executive of Flanigan Farms Natural Foods, has died. She was 78.

Flanigan and her husband Owen established the Culver City company in 1970, concentrating on making natural foods widely available at supermarkets. After Owen’s death in 1992, Patsy ran Flanigan Farms with her daughters.

Flanigan graduated from California State University, Northridge, at 47 in 1979 with a degree in food science. She received CSUN’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2002.

Flanigan was a delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business. She served on the boards of the Culver City Chamber of Commerce; the Didi Hirsch Community Health Center; the American Heart Association, Los Angeles affiliate; and the Marilyn Magraam Center of CSUN.

Her favorite place was the Flanigan Farms’ organic persimmon grove in San Diego County.

She wrote opinion articles about her areas of interest, such as farming and natural foods, for publications, including the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Flanigan died of a brain hemorrhage on Dec. 13.

She is survived by her four daughters and two sons-in-law: Cathie Flanigan and Bill Kowalik of Perth, Australia; Eileen Flanigan, of Highlands Ranch, Colo; Monica Heeren of Los Angeles; and Teresa Flanigan and Trenton Jones of Portland, Ore. Heeren will succeed Flanigan at the company.

A service will be 1 p.m. Jan. 10 at Radisson Hotel, Pacifica Ballroom, 6161 West Centinela Ave., Culver City.

The family requests that donations be made to California State University Northridge Foundation, College of Health & Human Development c/o John Pepitone, 18111 Nordhoff St, Northridge, Calif. 91330-8215; or Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center c/o Orange County Boy Scouts, 1211 East Dyer Road, Santa Ana, Calif., 92705 to the attention of Les Baron.