Although I only knew Pat for a short period of time, I did have the privilege of assisting with her care during the last few months of her life. Despite the level of pain she was in, she carried through with a strong determination and good sense of humor. There were several times on occasion I remember her making me laugh with her dry wit. One particular day while helping her change clothes she was remarking on the fact that I was "doing it wrong". This of course should come as no surprise to anyone considering how she was known for doing everything a certain way. During our discourse she commented by saying "don't forget, I'm older than you" to which I responded, "yes you are, just like you were yesterday and the day before." Her way of talking made it very easy to be candid with her as she was perfectly frank with everyone. There was no fakeness about her in any way which is one of the traits I truly appreciated about her.
She had extreme trust and faith in Chris's capabilities. Whenever she seemed to be in doubt about the future, reassurances that her grandson was taking care of the necessary arrangements seemed to calm her down instantly. Pat never wanted to be a burden and with the exception of apologizing she would say things along the lines of "I know this is a mess and it's a shame you have to deal with it" implying of course that she was fully aware of her situation.
Pat held the utmost dedication towards playing the organ for church and related events such as weddings. Every morning when she awoke she would comment on the fact that she was running late for church and they would need to find a replacement for her because of her physical condition. Hearing how much she missed it in her voice was quite touching.
Even though she was not my grandmother by blood, she gave off a good-hearted and finicky persona which was very endearing. A few times there was a need to remain close by her side to monitor for any major changes. At this point we had spent a decent amount of time together to where I felt quite comfortable asking if I could lie in the bed next to her. She had no objections and twice I fell asleep beside her and awoke with a calm and peaceful feeling. Pat had the ability to evoke a sense of composed acceptance in the fact that she was very no-nonsense and accepted the curve balls life threw at her with grace and ease. May her soul rest in peace.