Patrick Post: January 2013

One of the things that Uncle Bernie asked me to do when he was in the hospital in Great Falls was to help him plan his funeral and write his obituary...the other was would I give his eulogy. Sure. I would do most anything out of love. I thought I would post it here.

Bernard Walter Patrick

Born December 11, 1927 on the Rist Place just south of Goldstone, Montana

Died November 9, 2012 – Bullhead City, Arizona

I didn’t get much sleep the night Uncle Bernie died …but as I laid in bed I allowed all the memories…and stories…and good times …to surround me…and give me comfort…come take a walk with me and my memories from that night.

Bernie was a competitor...a natural born teacher…witty and charming…a teaser…ornery (a familiar Patrick trait)…but loving. Bernie had Grandma Sadie’s snappy brown eyes. Those eyes really twinkled when he thought that he had slipped one by you….and he really liked a good joke.

He was a collector of coins and beer memorabilia. He liked the night skies…gardening… geology…dinosaurs…golf…and telling stories.

His passion though was playing bridge. He was the first Life Master in Havre…attaining the rank in 1966…playing many years with Dr. Jim Elliott. Even forty years later when we would play Chicago at Joanie and Bernie’s house…when it was time for Doc and Bernie to be partners you could just see time stand still…bridge is a game of communication…and those very good partnerships can just pick up as if no time had ever passed.

He loved playing with all the young and upcoming players over the years….Monty Kuka…Ric Floren….I wish that I could name all of them..as I said…he was a natural born teacher. I asked him one time how he and Monty ever teamed up. Well…he said, Monty was a very good golfer and he was just learning the game of bridge….so he taught me some of the fine points of golf and I taught him some of the fine points of bridge.

My mind drifted off as I thought about the first time that I ever played bridge with him. Joanie, Uncle Bernie, Uncle Wayne and I flew to Mexico City to play in the Mexican Nationals. We decided that we were going to see as much of the city as we could…play bridge…switching around as partners and go see the pyramids.

When it was time for Bernie and me to be partners we couldn’t play in any event but the Super Open. I had hardly any master points but I had to play up because of Bernie’s points. We had to play against every pro in the world who wasn’t playing with a client in the senior event. When the dust settled Bernie and I came in 4^th overall. How exciting for me to see our names up on the board with all the famous pros. You know that he carried me that day….he was just that good.

Up until almost the moment that he died he studied the play of bridge. It was not unusual over the years…even when he was in Arizona that my phone would ring…and when I answered..not even a hello…he would say you are holding five spades to KQ….and finished giving me my hand….the bidding has gone…and now it is to you…what’s your bid…and the lesson would begin…always the lesson…

Joanie and Bernie were an awesome partnership. Yes it is true that there were words at the table…out in the smoking area…after the game…yes it is true that there were lots of words…and thank God because that gave the rest of us a chance at the golden ring. Those two won everything…cleaned house…actually cleaned our clocks. They were an awesome partnership.

I was fortunate to be able to travel and play bridge with them all over the world …Mexico…Cayman Islands…Canada…all parts of Montana….Washington…and in Las Vegas.

Bernie had two goals that he wanted to achieve after retiring…to win the Big Sky Cup and to have a hole-in-one on the golf course. He achieved both of those goals. The Big Sky Cup was awarded each year to the Life Master who won the most master points at Montana tournaments. He grabbed the cup in 1996. And, the hole-in-one came on the #4 at the Beaver Creek Golf Course here in Havre.

As the clock slowly ticked past 1:30 a.m. a golf memory flashed through my mind. One day I stopped at the golf course to see how Bernie and Natalie’s games were going. She was on the Havre High School Golf team and he loved to practice her up…always the natural born teacher. Here comes the golf cart toward the pro shop pedal to the metal…Natalie behind the wheel…and Bernie…kicked back having a beer. Apparently it had been a good game for both of them. What a pair! She loved it…every time they headed to the golf course…and I bet she is booking a couple of tee times as we gather here today.

As the time approached 2:30 a.m. I began thinking about all the good times we had together on the Cayman Islands. We would get up every morning…walk to the beach in front of the condo…towel our chairs…then Bernie and I would take a morning walk along Seven-Mile beach toward the Governor’s House. My favorite though would be the walk down the beach the other way toward the Holiday Inn where we would buy our tickets to the party boat…head out to snorkel along the Cayman Reef before going to Stingray City…one of my most favorite spots in the whole world…and yes…we would suck up the Bahama Mammas on the trip home…singing along and swaying with the Reggae music.

We always seemed to find the time to play bridge on the Caymans…as soon as I arrived… Bernie would read the bridge results from the previous week to me from the local newspaper…he got such a kick out of reading… 3^rd place…so and so…2^nd place..so and so and “yet again first” Joan and Bernie Patrick.

They introduced me to the world of conch fritters…key lime pie…plantains… rum cake... jerked pork…those delicious Jamaican breakfast sandwiches at Momma Creta’s…downtown Georgetown…once and a while we would sneak in a Jamaican Striped Beer.

When the clock read 3:30 a.m. I began to smile as I thought about all the teasing and jokes – that existed in abundance in our family. He was the leader of the pack…and I thought of Aunt Gladys celebrating her 80^th birthday in Arizona …with many of her siblings. The morning after the big party the two early risers were Bernie and Aunt Gladys. Bernie was lounging on the couch reading the morning paper. Gladdie was starting the first pot of coffee for the day.

He told me, that he looked up and said, “Gladdie, did you know that you are older than Arizona.” He said she turned and said, “What did you say?” His eyes began to twinkle when he told me, “I said the newspaper says that you are older than Arizona…as he held up the paper so she could read the headline - Arizona celebrates 79 years of statehood. He laughed and said, I finally got her back good… after all those years… for the time she tricked me into running around the house three times when I was a little boy.

I slowly began to drift off…and I whispered…Uncle Bernie, I would like to just play one more game of bridge with you…and then I woke up with a start as I realized that …his spirit wasn’t with me at that moment…he had taken Aunt Beth by the hand and they had just found the room where a couple tables of Patrick bridge was being played. I could hear the laughter and the joking as they sat down with Uncle Cliff, Uncle Wayne, Uncle Curly, Aunt Billie, Uncle Harold, Aunt Carol and Aunt Gladys to continue an eternity of bridge games.

I heard Aunt Doris laugh…and just knew that she, Aunt Ardys and my mother were washing dishes and baking cookies…..

I fell asleep hearing the clamber from past years as our family gathered together for Christmas celebrations…birthdays…all the holidays…even a dance at the Minneota hall…or a drive over to someone’s house for a visit.

As I look around at all my cousins I think of how lucky we all are because we grew up surrounded by all this love and attention that was showered on us by all my aunts and uncles, grandparents – our whole family.

Thank you, Uncle Bernie for everything….I love you.