Friday, April 2, 2021
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Papa Pat provided me with countless joy and laughter throughout the years I was lucky enough to get to know him. We bonded over our mutual love for a good rum and extra sharp Vermont cheddar cheese that “bites you back”. Despite his struggles with dementia, he would tell us vivid stories from his past serving as a marine in WW2 and growing up in Georgia. He could still remember the horrendous smell of his mom cooking chitterlings as a child and the pranks he pulled on his fellow marines. When we quarantined with him last year, he was a willing participant in all of our silly TikTok videos where we made him do all sorts of ridiculous things. He was always up for a good laugh. Since I came back to Vermont last summer, we have faced timed nearly every week. He always wanted to know how my pet hedgehog was doing, how much snow we had up here, and most importantly, when I was coming to Long Island to see him. I will always be honored that he remembered me and was excited every time we got to chat. You can’t ask for much more than 101 years from someone but it still just doesn’t seem like enough. He will be so greatly missed.
