Farewell to "Miss Pat," Director of St. Vincent's Child Care Center

Patricia “Miss Pat” Meehan was the beloved director of the St. Vincent's Child Care Center for 30 years. During her tenure there she cared for countless children from the borough and beyond and truly made a difference in their lives and those of their parents. On Friday, this wonderful lady passed away peacefully at St. Mary’s Hospital VITAS Unit after a valiant battle with cancer.

Pat was born in Bridgeport and was a longtime resident of Naugatuck. She was very proud of her Irish heritage and often spoke of her large Irish family. She was a lady who was filled with faith and a very active member of St. Vincent Ferrer Church. Whenever I attended a Mass in her parish, I almost always would see her proudly serving as a Eucharistic minister, and often got to give her a hug afterwards. In addition to her duties as the director of the thriving child care center, she qualified as a fixture at most church activities.

She was recognized for all of  her volunteerism this year when she was the church's recipient of the annual St. Joseph Medal of Appreciation on her 30th anniversary. I was so pleased to write about my friend when she received this well-deserved honor.

Pat had served as the director of the child care center for an impressive 30 years. Pastor Rev. Kevin Forsyth reminded me that she had been on staff during the tenure of three pastors, ten years for Father Forsyth, fourteen for Father Jeremiah Murasso and six for Father Edmund Nadonly.

It is impossible to understate the effect that this dedicated caregiver has had on the lives of the children that have come through the Child Care Center, which is located behind the church on New Haven Road. Her students, aged 3 through 10, thrived under her gentle care. The center has always accepted children with a wide range of needs and Miss Pat and her staff have always made it work. I am sure that her coworkers will miss her terribly and a large number of graduates will remember her fondly.

When I posted the arrangements on social media, I was surprised at the number of friends that knew Miss Pat. One parent  wrote: "Thank you for taking such good care of so many of our children." My niece Kim Henry sent  "thoughts and prayers for her family. She was a wonderful woman. My daughter enjoyed her time there at St Vincent's."

I will always remember Pat as being an extremely devoted mother to her beautiful daughter Megan. When Megan was young, she would meet her mother at St. Vincent's Primary School, where Miss Pat worked with me as a classroom aide. The love between the two was apparent to everyone who saw them together. Whenever I ran into Pat, we would marvel at how old our "kids" had become. Megan is now an adult and lives in Naugatuck. I am sure that she will miss her beloved mom and best friend. 

Because I cannot help feeling that this post is inadequate, I invite readers to post their personal messages in the comment section below.

Rest in peace, my friend. I will miss you very much.