I have been blessed with many heroes in my life, but I have a special one that I chose to talk about today. I have known my hero for at least 60 years, so I have known her through many stages of my life and in each era I see more characteristics which make her a hero to me.
Her name is Pat Snider and I am not sure that I have ever told her how much I admire her and would like to be more like her.
I first knew her as Patricia Wilson when we went to Shawnee High School together. She was two years older than me and an upperclassman.
She was always open and friendly and I liked her because she was nice to us “greenhorns” (as our yearbook called us), underclassmen who were little known and less respected.
After we were out of school, our paths crossed again because we were both teachers in the Shawnee School system. Again, I was impressed with Pat’s ability as a teacher. She was a dedicated professional who treated her drama students with care and respect. I admired her for that and admired her abilities in later years when she taught at St. Gregory’s.
As the years went by, I kept knowing Pat in other capacities and continued to observe her with watchful eyes. What a pleasure it was for me to be in a Weight Watchers class with Pat.
She was fun and just “blew us away” with her determination and fortitude. She was an award-winning participant who was even honored at the state level. Later, when she became our Weight Watcher lecturer, I truly experienced her skill as a teacher.
I continued to be amazed by Pat as she became more and more involved in community service. I think it must be hard to be a politician’s wife, but she wore that mantle with grace and dignity as George served as city commissioner. I thank Pat and others like her for her involvement in developing our wonderful Shawnee Little Theatre.
Her work there in the theatre as well as with the Jaycees in making our Miss Shawnee pageant a great success helped make our town a better place to live.
As Pat and I continue on our journey together, I have learned so much from her about aging graciously. I see Pat working tirelessly in our church even when her health is not what it used to be.
She always has time to pray with others, teach in Sunday school and work in our after-school program. When she helped with the directing during our Living Last Supper production, we gave her roses and a standing ovation. And in my books that still wasn’t enough.
Pat sits behind me every Sunday in church and I can always hear her voice raised in praise and song ( a little off key — like mine) but what I hear is the music of her spirit — which is all about love for her family, her friends, her church and her community. What a role-model she is. My hero Pat Snider.
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I have been blessed with many heroes in my life, but I have a special one that I chose to talk about today. I have known my hero for at least 60 years, so I have known her through many stages of my life and in each era I see more characteristics which make her a hero to me.
Her name is Pat Snider and I am not sure that I have ever told her how much I admire her and would like to be more like her.
I first knew her as Patricia Wilson when we went to Shawnee High School together. She was two years older than me and an upperclassman.
She was always open and friendly and I liked her because she was nice to us “greenhorns” (as our yearbook called us), underclassmen who were little known and less respected.
After we were out of school, our paths crossed again because we were both teachers in the Shawnee School system. Again, I was impressed with Pat’s ability as a teacher. She was a dedicated professional who treated her drama students with care and respect. I admired her for that and admired her abilities in later years when she taught at St. Gregory’s.
As the years went by, I kept knowing Pat in other capacities and continued to observe her with watchful eyes. What a pleasure it was for me to be in a Weight Watchers class with Pat.
She was fun and just “blew us away” with her determination and fortitude. She was an award-winning participant who was even honored at the state level. Later, when she became our Weight Watcher lecturer, I truly experienced her skill as a teacher.
I continued to be amazed by Pat as she became more and more involved in community service. I think it must be hard to be a politician’s wife, but she wore that mantle with grace and dignity as George served as city commissioner. I thank Pat and others like her for her involvement in developing our wonderful Shawnee Little Theatre.
Her work there in the theatre as well as with the Jaycees in making our Miss Shawnee pageant a great success helped make our town a better place to live.
As Pat and I continue on our journey together, I have learned so much from her about aging graciously. I see Pat working tirelessly in our church even when her health is not what it used to be.
She always has time to pray with others, teach in Sunday school and work in our after-school program. When she helped with the directing during our Living Last Supper production, we gave her roses and a standing ovation. And in my books that still wasn’t enough.
Pat sits behind me every Sunday in church and I can always hear her voice raised in praise and song ( a little off key — like mine) but what I hear is the music of her spirit — which is all about love for her family, her friends, her church and her community. What a role-model she is. My hero Pat Snider.
