My dear friend Pat was a loving, generous person who spent her life helping others and making the world a better place. I met Pat shortly after she had lost her beloved husband and was attending lifelong learning classes at Rutgers. Her fellow students were amazed that she would drive 50 miles each way to attend classes, but she was a brilliant woman with a thirst for intellectual stimulation.
We became close friends, and over the years I learned about her remarkable life as a nurse, a teacher of future nurses, and a devoted wife who did much to honor her husband's memory. As an example of her altruism, she sewed more than 300 cloth masks during the Pandemic to distribute to others for their protection.
The world has lost a bright light, but it will continue to shine in the lives of the hundreds of people she helped and inspired. Rest in peace, dear friend, and may the gates of Heaven open for you.
