Aunt Pat

Saint Erin, Aunt Pat and Saint Jen

Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob

Jen’s wonderful, fabulous, magnificent Aunt Pat (there aren't enough superlatives to describe her) checked out of this world last Tuesday, March 3rd. Aunt Pat and Uncle Bob were frequent visitors here at Valhalla. Parties were always that much more glitteringly fun with Aunt Pat in the house.

Jen shares some thoughts/memories:
~~~~~~~~~~
Aunt Pat made every last one of us feel like we were number one in her heart. She must have had the biggest heart of anyone that walked this green earth. Just how she managed to hold all of us inside her like she did, and love us all so completely, was a thing of wonder.

She never imposed or pried or assumed (even though sometimes you wished she would!). She never criticized or pointed out weakness.

Aunt Pat and her brother Jack (AKA Pop)

Aunt Pat asked thoughtful questions about our lives, our hopes, our interests and cared about the answers she received. Sometimes you'd receive a packet in the mail of clippings she thought you'd enjoy or coupons you might need—always accompanied by a handwritten note explaining it all (though she began typing the notes when she got a little older, she always included a couple post-its with her signature cursive. She had beautiful handwriting).

Aunt Pat called us "hon" and "love", which I adored. She treated us like individual
flowers that grew in her well tended garden.

Sun flowers, orchids and snap dragons thrived alongside wild mint, peonies, roses and blue bells. There was an imposing oak tree that mingled happily with the fiery cherry blossoms and stepping stones lead a circular path throughout. That path always brought Aunt Pat back around to the beginning—just in time to clear away some wind blown leaves that collected at the base of one planting or another.

Aunt Pat was a humble woman who didn't like being the center of attention. She preferred being the one who was cheering one of us on, or celebrating our birthdays or arming herself with an imposing looking tripod to snap pictures at a family gathering.

I used to love when she occasionally called me at work; she was full of apologies and promised not to take up too much of my time "lest I get fired." I loved that. We always laughed at that joke, though frankly I'm not entirely sure she was joking. :-)

Beyond all else, AP loved her husband, our Uncle Bob. They were a solid unit for as long as I can remember and boy did they made each other laugh, sometimes to the point of tears.  Their eyes twinkled in each other's company, like the stars in the night sky.

We are all going to miss her so much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That’s for damn sure!