I first met Pat through his wife, Bonnie when we were at 7 Lakes during our water aerobics class.about two years ago. During class, Bonnie and I would often joke about what goofy things happened during class that she could then share with her husband and brighten his day.
I had heard Pat had been battling cancer for some time, had several surgeries, many rounds of chemo, etc. When I finally met Pat I was so surprised. I had expectations of meeting a man who was quite ill, quiet and subdued and there he was--- a man that was so friendly and engaging, making outrageous and humorous statements. I was immediately taken by his energy and light. He drew me in. He was SO MUCH FUN to be with. I loved his jokes and outrageous comments. I felt like he had the ability to bring out the part of my personality that I usually keep subdued- cracking stupid jokes, breaking out in song when no one expected it, stupid pranks, etc. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed his company and for some reason felt strongly compelled to lighten both his and Bonnie's load. They were such wonderful people and I was so very lucky to be able to count them as my friends..
Probably the craziest thing I remember was when he had invited several of us to join him for dinner at our Country Club. All of us were looking forward to it, knowing that Pat was feeling well enough to go out. There we were, eating, drinking and chatting away. Suddenly, Pat got up, adjusted his jacket like a famous performer getting ready to wow his audience, went up to the Baby Grand piano, struck a few notes and started singing a Johnny Mathis song or something along those lines. and then stopped, since he was just fooling around. In usual Pat fashion, he caught the attention of everyone in the room. Our group gave him a standing ovation!
Pat taught me an important lesson, and that is to live life as much as you can despite your circumstances. I recently had a trip planned to Paris and 3 weeks before departure, I sprained my ankle in two places and sustained a small fracture. I thought about cancelling my dream trip of a lifetime without knowing when I would have the opportunity again. Then, I remembered how determined Pat was to go to Puerto Vallarta last winter even though he wasn't doing that well. He went, and didn't stay as long as he would have liked, but he went, knowing it would be hard. I figured that if Pat was able to go on his trip, with his struggled, I could certainly go on mine.
Pat was lucky in that he had a wonderful support group with his wife Bonnie always ;by his side, and his two sons spending as much time as possible with him. He also had so many friends, which is a real tribute to a person.
Pat spread sunshine wherever he went. He lit up a room. You couldn't help but smile when you were in his presence. Thank you Pat for bringing so much sunshine into my life and for being wonderful, awesome you! I will celebrate you every 4th of July when I see the fireworks. So very sorry I can't come other than your Celebration of Life. Rest in Peace..
Love, Radmila