Gloria
Pat was a great friend and I have many fond memories of our friendship. After I had my spinal fusion and was no longer working, she introduced me to things that I never experienced before, or as she would call them, “The finer things in life”. We would go to the outlets in MD and PA, Vanity Fair in Reading, PA and Rockvale Outlets in Lancaster, PA those being her most favorite. She was always buying things for Debbie, Erin, and Bryan and rarely for herself. From there we would always have dinner at the Willow Valley Family Restaurant. She taught me how to buy soft shell crabs and because I was so squeamish, she would always clean them for me. She taught me how to pick and pickle beets. Off we would go to Larriland Farm in Woodbine and pick beets and then go back to my house and she and I would pickle them. She was older than me and had more physical disabilities than me, but darn if she didn’t finish picking those beets before me and she would always have more than me. She used her bare hands to pull up the beets and sissy me had to wear gloves and use a knife. She really teased me about that. We would also go at other times to pick various fruits and vegetables and again, she was always finished before me and always had more than me. When I lived in MD, I would always get two slices of white bread from her to make my crab cakes because I don’t eat bread and my husband only eats grain bread and I used the white bread to make my crab cakes. When I moved to SC she and I would laugh because I didn’t feel comfortable asking anyone for two slices of white bread so I started using bread crumbs. She and I would also “trade meals”-----she would give me crab soup, fried hard crabs, steamed crabs, and Russian “pigeons and perogies”. Debbie caught the crabs so they were out of the bay and fresh to Pat to make those delicious crab dishes. I in turn would give her split pea soup and sauerbraten. It was always a joke between us that she would give me the ham bone for the split pea soup. Whenever I would go back to MD, I always took both of those foods to her. And Rheb’s candy was her favorite and my favorite so she would get up early and go to Rheb’s and stand in line to get the Christmas and Easter candy for her family and for my family, even after she had her bilateral knee replacements.
Through the years, I admired her tenacity and strength to deal with her health issues and increasing physical disabilities that prevented her from doing the things that she liked to do. She was a tough lady, even to the end. I’m so glad that I got to speak with her last week even though she couldn’t talk back. Debbie said that Pat grinned as I was talking and that will be the memory that I will always cherish.
Debbie you have been a very loving and devoted daughter and you definitely were her advocate when she was in the hospital multiple times for her various illnesses. You did everything you could for her and while she probably didn’t tell you that, I know she loved you very much and appreciated everything you did for her. Saying such things just was not her. And, you honored her final wishes for when she would pass from here to Jesus’ outstretched arms to receive her in heaven. I pray that God’s loving hand will heal your sorrow and touch your heart with the peace that only He can give.
Love and God’s Blessings,
Gloria and also Paul and “the girls”
