Tribute

If you needed some help, Pat was your go to person. The only thing he would take for compensation was a hamburger, fries and a shake. He had a work ethic passed down from our Dad. Never give up. After high school, Pat backpacked around Europe. He also saw a lot of the United States, traveling by car, with a friend. When he got back, he started his own gardening service in Orange County, CA. Later he would work at many National Parks including; Fort Mason in San Francisco, Capitol Reef in Utah, Grand Canyon in Arizona and Mesa Verde in Colorado His passions were hiking, reading and writing. Here are two highlights in his life I will mention here. In 2008, while working at the Grand Canyon he was on a Trail crew and also worked with the Ace Crew. The Ace Crew were people from all over the world that came together to build trails. As Pat would write, they were a cornucopia of humanity and talent. He was honored to work with them. The second highlight was helping people who were in distress while hiking in the Canyon. Several letters were written by visitors who told their story of how Pat gave them water, walking beside them, and “talked” them up to the rim of the canyon. One time he carried another persons backpack, along with his own, and kept walking until they got to their destination. He also saw three young boys in distress and was able to get them to safety. Working at the National Parks made his passion for hiking, a dream come true. I am reminded of one man, Morris, who only had one good arm. Those two hiked to places most people never see or experience. They hiked together for over 20 years. Books, Pat had hundreds. He went to the library often to buy them from their book sales. He was a nature and history buff. He also loved to write stories and poetry. Pretty good for a person who had dyslexia, back when people didn’t know much about it. He learned to read when he got out of high school from a retired teacher. Pat had many friends and family who loved him. Overall, his passions were achieved many times over, he got to work and hike where he loved to be, in nature. I was lucky to have you as a brother. Susan

Friends & Family