The Bittersweet Holidays

I have commented to some friends during the last few days that Thanksgiving, as well as the Christmas holidays are always such a happy and sad time of year,  They are bittersweet in that we are with family and also remember our family and friends who have died.  This year has not been any different from the others.  We lost Alicia Rivas de Amaya on the 22nd of November and it  just came to my attention yesterday that  a childhood friend died last year.

I spent most of my formative years in a small town in the Pocono Mountains, PA called Tobyhanna.  Tobyhanna, which means "dark waters" in the American Indian language, was established by mostly German and Irish immigrants back in the mid 1800s. My paternal Irish ancestors set up housekeeping there in 1852 after they fled the Potato Famine in Ireland.

We settled in Tobyhanna after my father retired from the US Navy when I was four years old.  Despite the resignations of my mother, my father insisted that we return to his childhoold home to be near his mother and sister.  I had several childhood friends that I played with there who I shall forever call "The Tobyhanna Girls", and Patty Bonny Gaige was one of them.

A very nice girl who I went to school with at Pocono Catholic and who I have since become friends with on Facebook informed me yesterday that Patty died last year in Florida.  I was very saddened by this news!  I would like to dedicate my blog for today to Patty as follows:

Photo Courtesy of Mary Kay Carota, Posted on Facebook

Here is Patty's Obituary, which was posted in the Herald Tribune in Sarasota, FL on 28 July 2010:

                                                                       ~~~

Patricia A. Gaige
 
Nov. 13, 1959 - July 19, 2010

Patricia A. Gaige, 50, of Rotonda West, formerly of the Poconos, Pa., died July 19, 2010.
Services will be private. Lemon Bay Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Survivors include her mother, Rita Bonny of Rotonda West; and sisters Lynn Kelly of Tobyhanna, Pa., and Theresa Storm of Tannersville, Pa.

                                                                      ~~~

This is certainly not much to say about Patty, who was such a vibrant and spunky woman!  The last time that I spoke with her was in the early 80's in the Tinker Hollow, which was a bar in Mt. Pocono, Pa that burned down in the mid 80's.  It was such a nice conversation and she was so sweet!  I remember her telling me that she had given up Cosmetology and was pursuing other avenues.  I hope that Patty found some happiness in her life before she passed away!

Lord, please bless Patty!  Please let her be at peace and in your light!


June 29, 2013 Update

I ended up getting in touch with a girl by the name of Teresa Kelly today.  Teresa and I were classmates at Pocono Mountain High School and we partied together a few times outside of school.  Her brother Pat married Patty Bonny's sister Lynn.  I asked Teresa if she knew what happened to Patty.  She told me that Patty was a very heavy smoker and had other health problems, one of which I know was diabetes from somebody I talked with recently who knew her from Tobyhanna.

Apparently, Patty's smoking and health problems resulted in a fatal heart attack while she was sleeping. Unfortunately, she was dead for about three days before anybody found her.  Teresa told me that she helped Lynn clean out Patty's apartment.  What a terribly sad story!

It was very nice to get back in touch with Teresa again though!  She has pictures of David Schmitt, a classmate of ours who died tragically back in 1987.  I'm hoping that she'll let me put one on a memorial site that I created for Dave.  I look forward to reminiscing with her about our school days!

November 13, 2015 Update
  
Today would have been Patty's 56th birthday.  Once of the girls that grew up with us in Tobyhanna posted this picture of her on Facebook today in honor of her birthday:

Picture posted on Facebook by Tina Marie Merli

Happy Birthday Patty!  Rest in Peace!