Obituary of Gerard Pattie

Jerry Pattie, a devote family man, passed away after a long illness at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington on Sunday afternoon, June 1, 2008. He was 84 years old. Jerry was born in Stoneham, the son of Canadian immigrants, the late Alphonse and Elizabeth Pattie. He grew up and was educated in Stoneham. At the age of 18, he joined the Navy to fight in WW II. He served until the end of the war and was the recipient of the WW II Victory Medal, the American Theatre Medal, and the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Medal. Jerry was a hard working man, who took pride in his workmanship. He worked as an oil burner technician at Metropolitan fuel in Chelsea for over 20 years. He had also worked with K and N Oil Company and Old Colony Oil Company. He worked long hours to better provide for his large family. He had also owned a Mobil gas station on Washington Street in Woburn for a short time. He was a proud member of the Teamsters Local 25. He was always there if a family member, friend, or neighbor had a heating problem which he could fix. Jerry had a number of interests and activities. Jerry was an avid golfer and was a regular at many of the many local charity golf tournaments. He had a group of good friends, including the late Fr. John Crispo, that he would regularly golf with. Jerry was a very involved member of the Burlington Knights of Columbus Third and Fourth Degrees. He was active in the council golf league and enjoyed many of the social activities with his late wife Dorothy. He enjoyed to travel with his wife and some of his favorite destinations included; London, Ireland, Italy, Bermuda, and Florida. Jerry’s most impressive achievement was his family. He was married to his wife Dorothy for 54 years. They had 7 children whom he cherished. He loved family get gatherings, cookouts, and the holidays, especially Christmas. He was a supportive father and father-in-law. He was an extremely proud grandfather and great grandfather. They are all going to miss his warmth and humor. Jerry was the beloved husband of the late Dorothy E. (Burke) Pattie. He was the loving father of James A. Pattie of Burlington, Jack J. Pattie & his wife Kerry of Newburyport, Karen Bobbish & her husband Charles of Burlington, Joan Falconer & her husband Stu of Burlington, Debra Hosmer & her husband Peter of Rye, NH, the late Gerard J. Pattie, Jr., and Susan Chorpenning. He was the brother of Claire Burns of CA, Blanche Keane of Medford, late Lloyd, Roy, and Charles Pattie. Jerry was also survived by 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Thursday, June 5 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington, at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Wednesday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Jerry’s name may be made to the Knights of Columbus Exceptional Children’s Fund, P.O. Box 25, Burlington, MA 01803. A Family Remembrance by James Pattie Thank you, Father, for providing me the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of our father. I also want to thank my brothers and sisters for once again selecting me to honor a member of our family. And I must thank all of you for coming, many of you from far and wide, as we pay homage to a great man. The Great man…How do we decide whether a man is to be labeled as great? Dad was an oil burner service man and auto mechanic – Can such a man be labeled great? Greatness… What does it take for someone to earn such high recognition? Is it celebrity? Is it Fame? Perhaps it is Fortune. I think not. In fact, I believe that Dad belonged to an entire generation of great people, those often referred to as the greatest generation the world has ever seen. These people were noble because they did NOT seek the celebrity and recognition so often connected with our current definition of great. They did what they did because it was simply the right thing to do. They did so quietly, almost softly, sublimely, satisfied with only the recognition and appreciation of those they loved and those who loved them. Dad was a member of this group of Americans worthy of the lofty moniker reserved solely for the greatest of people. Sadly, as the years fade away, we lose more and more members of this generation of people, and we must do all we can to remember what they sacrificed for their country and families. Imagine the consequences had they failed. We, those of us gathered here today, must do our part to prevent the world from forgetting the greatest generation. We can do so by remembering the life and times of our father Dad grew up in Stoneham, relatively poor, the son of a Canadian fisherman turned carpenter. At a tender age, a time when people of his age today think of college and good times, he, like so many of his generation, left a loving family to go 1/2 way across the world to fight in the war to end all wars, WWII. He didn’t ask why. He didn’t complain or try to avoid this responsibility. Our country had been attacked, so he did what he needed to do: again, because it was the right thing to do. Upon leaving the Navy, Dad continued to conduct his life as so many of his generation. He met a great woman and produced a bevy of children. He worked hard, often 70-80 hours a week to make life comfortable for his burgeoning family. Yes, he had his love of golf and his unrelenting faith, but in those early years, life was anything but easy. He faced the death of a beloved son, his wonderful daughter, and his life mate, our mother. Did he complain? Did he throw up his hands and simply give up? Did he wring his hands and give up? No, he did it all, sacrificing his needs for the sake of his family because again, it was the right thing to do. I came across a quote from a poster my daughter Alyssa had me frame for her a few Christmas’s past. I found it poignant, and I wanted to share with you as it relates to our father. With regard to All stages of life… Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and wrong…because sometime in your life you will have been all of these. I bring this up, because it has always bothered me that many of the younger people gathered here today only know the older, more fragile man our father became during the past few years. I hope you had an opportunity to see the pictures last night of Dad as young, strapping Naval officer. Remember that, like you, he was once young and strong, and like all of us, he stepped through life and experienced all its stages. He is symbolic of the beauty and tragedy of life itself. As many of you know, I stood before you in this very place to celebrate the lives of other family members who have left us all too early. Our brother Jerry brought us together as we leaned on each other for solace. From our sister Susan, we learned the true meaning of unconditional love. Among other valuable things, our mother provided us with a moral compass, an ethical map by which we should live our lives. And now, as we look at the life our father we can now define his greatest gift, the legacy by which he can be defined. Dad ingrained in us, all of us, as sense of the value of family. He loved his family – lived for it. He was never happier than when his family gathered together around him. He was proud of us regardless of our shortcomings, despite those times when we made him cry. Because, even then he knew we loved him and he always loved us. Let us vow as a family to never tear asunder this legacy he worked so hard to create. Let us not let petty differences ruin that which he most cherished. Let us not turn our backs on each other, regardless of the circumstances. To do so would be the greatest of crimes. We must not discard the priceless lesson he lived so hard to create. Our death is not an end if we can live on in our children. For they are us, our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life. Thank you and may God bless you…