Pat was born in 1931 and grew up in Manor Park, East London, initially at Third Avenue and then, after being bombed out during the 1941 London Blitz, Meanley Road. Pat was the eldest of 3 children, the others being brothers Dennis and then Michael; unfortunately, both have previously passed. At the outset of WW2 in 1939, an 8 year old Patricia along with her younger Brother Dennis and their pregnant Mother, Charlotte (her other Brother, Michael, was born in December 1939), were evacuated from London to Norfolk for about a year and again, this time with her 2 younger brothers, for about 18 months in 1942 to Perranporth in Cornwall.
Following the completion of her full time education at Ilford Ursuline Convent for girls, Pat started her career at Glyn, Mills & Company Bank in Lombard Street, London, but it was at Ford Motor Company in Dagenham in 1952 where Pat fell for Chris at first sight and still remembers his manfully striding along the stone floored corridor and into her office. One evening, after making his own enquiries, Chris called at Pat’s home and asked her to accompany him out and in 1954 they were married and rented a flat in Ilford, Essex. In 1956 Chris and Pat bought a house in Hornchurch, Essex and in 1957 they embarked on an 18 month adventure to Edmonton in Canada. Feeling Canada was maybe not for them, they returned to the UK and their previous lives via New York on the Queen Elizabeth Cunard liner.
In 1963 Chris and Pat moved to Brentwood, Essex, where in 1964 Pat gave birth to their only child, Gary. Pat was a very keen hobbyist metal and glass worker along with honouring her French Huguenot heritage by passing her O level French. Starting in the early 1980s, Pat and Chris took up winemaking and were active members of the Brentwood Amateur Wine Club, where they won several local and regional awards.
In 1994, Chris and Pat moved to Melksham, Wiltshire to be closer to Gary. Pat was a devoted Grandmother to James, born 1996, and adored spending time with him as he grew up and always took an active interest in his academic progress. James recalls many day trips with his Nan and Grandad, Nan being an excellent cook and Nan always encouraging him to be curious and to ask questions about the world, and he always admired her wide-ranging knowledge together with her finesse with spelling and grammar and her impressive ability to recall interesting random trivia.
Following her beloved Chris suffering a stroke in 2014 and developing Vascular Dementia, Pat took on a more demanding caring role, but she was subsequently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease and became increasingly frail. In early 2022, Pat was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic melanoma and, in September 2022, her health began to deteriorate noticeably and in December 2022 a significant haemorrhagic brain tumor was identified. Pat spent her final Christmas with her family but, whilst peaceful, her final passing came as a shock to her family.
Pat was a gracious, cheery, entertaining, generous, kindly and sweet Wife, Mother and Grandmother who will be sorely missed by those she leaves behind, but they will seek solace in the sure knowledge that Pat has been reunited with her beloved Chris and they will be waltzing together in that ballroom in the sky.
