Patricia Gloria (Martin) Willey, 75, of Pasadena passed away peacefully on December 9, 2018 after a short battle with liver cancer. She was surrounded by her family, holding her hands as she crossed over into the loving hands of God. Beloved wife of the late Gilbert C. Willey Jr; devoted mother of Gilbert C. Willey III (Darlene) and Karen Beth Hamstra (Jeff); loving grandmother of Lacy Tant, Valyn Tant, and Mya Hamstra.
Pat is also survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, family and friends. Born in Baltimore on January 6, 1943 to Charles E. and Doris N. Martin, Pat attended Southern High where she graduated in 1961. She married the love of her life, Gil Willey, on February 17, 1963.
Pat was an only child (she had a brother that passed away 3 years before her birth) but you wouldn’t know it from all the wonderful cousins and friends she grew up with. She spent her childhood going to ‘the shore’ with her parents and family where she learned how to fish, crab, and drive her own boat. She hung out with her lifelong cousin and friend Lorraine, who was also at her side the day of her passing.
She enjoyed music and dancing (she loved her Platters) and driving around in Gil’s 57 Chevy. She married and moved to Landsdowne in 1963 and met her lifelong best friend (and next door neighbor) Jackie and 55+ years later they talked nearly every day. She was a devoted mother to Gil and Karen, always putting them first and making their childhood special.
She was the neighborhood mom. She would make sandwiches for their backyard fort, cook up mini donuts and give the kids paper bags of sugar/cinnamon to shake and attended all of Gil’s baseball games. She was as substitute teacher at Riverview Elementary in Landsdowne – all the kids loved Miss Pat.
She would later volunteer at Lake Shore Elementary where her granddaughters went, continuing her love for working with kids. Pat was a Bank Manager at Capital Savings Bank in Pasadena (now Sandy Springs). She was a fixture of the community, volunteering and coordinating events.
She loved her friends and her ‘crew’ of 12+ went everywhere together. Jean/Bob, Kathy/Mel, Linda/Frank, Edna/Peter, Ed/Diane and many others traveled the Caribbean many times, which is where her daughter Karen and granddaughters get their love for the beach and blue waters. Pat’s world were her granddaughters.
She loved driving them in the car, playing silly songs on her CD player and singing and dancing to songs (out of tune) as the girls screamed “Go Granny Bop”. As they grew up she always kept the connection, she helped Lacy grade school papers, was Valyn’s facial/massage volunteer, and went to see Mya play her basketball games. She ‘adopted’ many other grandchildren along the way, each one of them calling her Granny.
She enjoyed reading and sitting out on her front patio letting the sun warm her up. Later in life she had her besties (Lorraine, Nancy, Rose, Joan) that went to dinner every Friday night and played Mexican Train. Pat’s legacy will live on in her family.
As Maya Angelou said “you may not remember what people did or said, but you will always remember how they made you feel’. Pat made everyone feel welcome; she was warm, generous, loving, forgiving, and that infectious smile will be forever embedded in our memory. Pat entered Hospice of the Chesapeake on November 26th where she was cared for at her home.
Their incredible compassion and care for her in the last 2 weeks were immeasurable. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Pat’s honor to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, MD 21122. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the family owned and operated MCCULLY-POLYNIAK FUNERAL HOME, P.A. 3204 Mountain Road PASADENA on Thursday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM.
Where funeral services will be held on Friday at 11 AM.
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