Submitted by his wife

Pat had been with the Chicago Fire Department since February 1982‚ until the time of his death in November 2004. Above all else‚ he thoroughly enjoyed the comradeship he experienced at the firehouse with his second family. For many years he was his shift’s cook and‚ from what I am told‚ he didn’t receive many complaints from the firefighters. He also did the majority of the cooking at home.

Prior to Pat’s joining the fire department‚ he was a high school substitute teacher. Teaching and coaching were in Pat’s blood‚ so he continued to substitute teach during his off-time from the fire department‚ except for the time period when our son Jack was born until Jack started school. Pat easily adapted to different roles‚ so he then enjoyed being Mr. Mom on his off days from the fire department.

Pat was a very outgoing‚ friendly‚ sincere person. He could easily find something to talk about with anyone. He was always quick with a smile and a kind word‚ and known for his wide Irish grin.

Pat was so looking forward to his daughter Lauren’s wedding in May 2005‚ but it was not in the cards. It was quite an emotional day for all of us‚ but we knew he was with us in spirit and the day was quite spectacular. Pat would have been so proud of Lauren‚ as he always had been of the three of us. We miss him very much.