Patricia 'Pat' Pate

Patricia "Pat" Pate, 86, of Danville passed away at 3:15 PM on November 14, 2023 at Hawthorne Inn in Danville, IL.

Pat was proceeded in death by her mother Jesse, her father Ian, and her dear husband, Zic (2011). She is survived by her daughter Vici Pate of Danville, her son Daniel (Crys) and grandson Ian of Clermont, Florida, and her son Richard (Rena) and granddaughter Alexandra of Danville, and her sisters Bonnie McMillan and Gerri Rekowski.

Pat was born in Nova Scotia and lived in various places throughout Canada during her fathers military service in the Canadian Navy. After Settling in Winnipeg Manitoba, the family decided it was time to move to America. They moved to Danville, Illinois in the early 1950s where Ian worked at William Davies Meatpacking. Pat found an instant group of lifelong friends at Schlarman High School, including classmates Tootsie Saladino (Hamburg) and Michael Mary Fullen (Bateman). Ever the enterprising worker, Pat worked as a soda jerk at Gulicks Pharmacy and was known for driving around Danville with her friends in a convertible and engaging in shenanigans.

Pat met Zic at Schlarman, and they were together for 52 years. After two years in the United States Army, Zic came home, and they were married in 1959. Shortly before the birth of their first son, Rich, they moved into their home on Dawn Avenue and Pat remained there her entire life. The house was always filled with music. Country, rock and roll, blues, you name it and Pat grooved on it.

Pat devoted her life to her children and became known as the "Cookie Lady" to all of the friends of her children. She was a room mother and a Home and School Society Board member for St. Pauls Grade School. Classes would love to see her walk through the door with her trays of homemade cookies, and visitors were always welcome in her home. One later told her son Rich later in life it was his favorite place to go because he always got a friendly hello and a cookie!

After the passing of their parents, Pat welcomed her teenage sister Gerri into her home. Their shared love of music and family made for a smooth transition, and by this time Dan and Vici were both born, making Dawn Avenue a bustling home of family and friends. Pat loved to spend time with her sister Bonnie (John) and her family, and family parties often could turn into late night bacchanals featuring a toga party or a Mick Jagger dancing contest. Limbo was big early on, but for some reason it faded a bit over the years. Pats parties were legendary, and people would wait all year for her huge Christmas Eve Parties featuring Santa for the kids and late nights of laughing and music for the adults.

After Zic took over his fathers Painting Contracting business and began to build it, Pat was his partner. An accounting whiz, Pat did all of the paperwork needed to run a business by hand. No payroll programs, no instant printable forms, all by hand. Often with her new favorite album playing in the background, Pat would sit at her spot in the house, the dining room table facing both the front door and front yard and go to work. On top of this, there was the usual running the kids around to various events and still maintaining her unpaid cookie duties.

Pat and Zic worked tirelessly and emphasized to all three of the children that they would go to college. With their help, all three did, and later in life Gerri became a college graduate as well. Both Pat and Zic were readers and emphasized a love of reading to their children. Her favorites were newspapers, Readers Digest Books, and magazines.

With an empty nest, Pat and Zic began to travel more and more. Ever the radio contest entry person, Pat won them a dream trip to Europe from her favorite radio personality, Mike in the Morning in Champaign. They had a fun time, and the Hard Rock in London was never the same after they left. Pat continued to work on the business, worked for Jack Shea real estate in the late 1970s and later added to her duties doing the books for a local auto body shop. Pat did not stop working until the passing of Zic. She channeled her energies into volunteer work at the local Humane Society, where she spent hours at the thrift shop making displays and raising funds.

Her winter trips to Clermont to spend time with her grandson Ian were a highlight, as were her lunches in town with her granddaughter Alexandra. Her daughter-in-law Rena worked tirelessly to make Pats yard what she called a "show piece," and was a large part of her care group near the end of her life, especially driving her to her treatments in Champaign. Her son Dan and his family took care of her in Florida during the awful COVID crisis. Her daughter Vici kindly moved back to Danville and tirelessly cared for her and her home, and her sister Gerri took over some driving duties and was a source for Dunkin treats. A self-proclaimed Luddite, she quickly made her iPhone a center for texts and calls from family and friends.

So rest in peace Canadian Ace. If there is a rock and roll heaven, we know they have a hell of a fan.

A Celebration of Life Graveside Committal Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at Sunset Memorial Park 3901 N Vermilion Street, Danville, Illinois 61832. Visitation will be held from 1-2:00 PM on Saturday, November 18, 2023 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Danville, Illinois, 3940 N Vermilion St. Danville, IL 61834.

Pat asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Danville Humane Society or to the Zic and Pat Pate Scholarship fund at the Danville Area Community College Foundation.

Please join Patricias family in sharing memories, photos and videos on her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com .