Goodbye Patrick ~

This funny card arrived in the mail 4 days ago...Patrick always makes the best Christmas cards!  One year he glued all kinds of seasonings to the front in the shape of a tree, with the words, Seasonings Greetings!  Another year, he printed a hilarious picture of his family back in the 70's all staring up at something on the ceiling.  Here are a few more of his funny cards...

Sadly, this will be our last Christmas card from Patrick, as he passed away two days ago. 

Patrick was such a wonderful man...told the best stories...loved to tell Ollie and Sven jokes...and knew everyones life story in the canyon.  Patrick, and then wife Abby, were Justins teachers through his elementary years at Poudre Canyon Elementary School (a one room schoolhouse for grades K-7).  According to Justin, Patrick created the best Christmas Programs, and the entire community showed up to attend these performances...in fact, it was always standing room only in that little one room schoolhouse!  Patrick loved a good book and read to his class every afternoon...Justin recalls tales from Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators, Old Yeller, and The Little House books.  Patricks sister married Justins Uncle, thereby making him part of the family, so they were always very close.  He even lived in the black bear for a while, and a few of his wood carved knot heads are still hanging over our fireplace.  He was one of the first friends i made in the canyon when i moved here in 2003.  I went into the Rustic Resort to see if i had gotten the job, and he was sitting there at a table and he told me, "you're already on the schedule!" I thought it odd that he knew that, since he didnt even work there. He then asked me if my sister was related to another Mullin family that lived in the canyon, and i asked, "How did you know my sisters last name was Mullin?"....Well, it was then that i realized he still used our mailbox as his mailing address after all those years :)  When i started my first garden up here, i told Patrick, "come see what my tomatoes are doing?"  Patrick teased me "ill tell ya what they're doing...nothing is what they're doing!"  And he was right! :) He seemed to have a special place in his heart for Jordyn too, and often picked up little goodies for her along the way.  A few years ago he purchased two of his favorite books for Jordyns library, "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls and "My side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George.  I look forward to reading these books to Jordyn as i am reminded of my dear friend Patrick.  Goodbye Patrick, we will miss you!