Oct 24 1936 - Dec 9, 2024
Oh how she loved to laugh. And dance and sing and live life fully. Just ask those she’s survived by. Husband William (Bill). Children Chris (Liz), Julie (Don) and Carolyn (Shaun), along with her six grandchildren William, Aidan, Ryan, Corey, Katelynn and Justin. Those who were fortunate enough to know Patricia (Pat to most) understood what a truly beautiful woman she was. Her spirit and her spirituality beamed with an infectious joy. Born in Toronto in 1936 she pursued her love of learning and active living by obtaining a degree in Physical Education from the University of Toronto.
It was her love of family that ruled her choice to raise her children alongside husband Bill in Richmond Hill rather than continue her teaching career. Back in those days Richmond Hill was a small town north of Toronto and she thrived there. Small towns and country living were her lifeblood, immersing herself in the community through the Anglican Church, the local schools and any number of worthy causes. If there was an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others she took it. And life took her to numerous communities where she could spread her kindness and caring for others, including Fort Smith Northwest Territories, Winnipeg, Ottawa and her final resting place Orillia.
She was a creative, curious and adventurous soul who loved to travel and spend time outdoors. Hand her a paddle and she would venture off to remote lakes and rivers. Pass her a hat and mitts and she’d walk or cross country ski for hours in the quiet of the wintery woods with her many loyal four legged companions. She was an animal lover extraordinaire, always quick to help a wounded creature, a stray or the neighbours pets. Except when they would wander into her beloved gardens, then she had a different tone. Her gardens were her sanctuary and she would toil for endless hours every summer at the cottage on the Severn River, bringing colour and beauty to every corner of the property.
That creative spirit extended to drawing, painting and writing when she could find the time between her feverish commitment to serve all communities she was a part of, including founding the local Cottager’s Association in an effort to protect and preserve the ecosystem of the Severn River for future generations. She was a selfless woman who led by example with quiet caring and genuine kindness always putting herself at the end of the line. Her thoughtfulness shone through the many deep and introspective conversations she enjoyed with individuals from all walks of life. She knew the fragility of life all too well through her time with the sick and the dying, spending countless hours often with people whom she hardly knew, but came to know intimately as she journeyed with them to the end of their lives, offering peace and love and support.
She was an integral part to bringing the Steven Lewis Foundation, Steven's Ministry and Grandmother's to Grandmother's outreach to St Paul’s church and spent untold time ministering to lay people through workshops and one on one journeying. A number of those individuals suffered from Dementia and Alzheimer’s, the very affliction that would impose great suffering upon her for the last fourteen years of her life, the last ten of which she would spend under the care and supervision of countless beautiful humans at the Trillium Manor in Orillia. Pat was resolute and strong willed, she pushed through the cruelty of this disease with grace, a disease that took her from friends and family far too early and held on to her for far too long.
On December 9, 2024 she passed peacefully, joining the many others she journeyed with to a better place. She was a lover of Dr Suess so perhaps it’s fitting to remember her with this quote. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”.
Donations to the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada are gratefully appreciated.