Brian, thank you for posting this thread by request.
It is with great sadness that I make this post.
Recently a good friend and valued member of a number of online forums Pat Chapdelaine (Giggles7p - Triple777s) passed away.
Pat was a member of many forums although she was quite a bit more active in some than others. Anyone that ever came in contact with her was always greeted by cheer and a sense of humor that was both fresh and uncompromised.
Pat's screen name "Giggles" came from her days as a truck driver. It was her CB handle. But it was also a great way to describe the joy she brought to people's lives and these forums.
She had a way of cheering people up. No matter how they felt prior to talking with her (or reading her posts) and rarely would anyone be able to read much of what she wrote without feeling better about their current situation.
She wrote poems for people on their birthdays. She always had a joke to cheer people up. And she was always able to laugh at herself.
She also loved being a member of this community.
"I just love everyone to death, I have such a great time here, laughing, flirting [one of my favorite things to do] lol, and learning," Pat once said about the GPWA. "It’s priceless the knowledge that comes out of this site, there are a few members here that I swear are at a genius level!"
Pat also loved animals. One of her dreams was to open her own animal rescue foundation. "I plan on doing this in the future, (opening) some kind of animal rescue," Pat once said. "My life is not complete if there are not animals included, all animals -- except spiders!"
What a lot of people didn't know about Pat was that she was constantly fighting her own battles with illness, but rarely did she ever let anyone know that she herself was having a bad time because she was always more concerned for others no matter what she felt like.
Sadly on the evening of October 20, 2011 it became too much and she went quietly in a hospital room surrounded by her close family.
She is survived by her husband of 20 years Gary, and by 3 children, two boys, Jamie and Branden Coneita and on girl Toni Cunningham.
The family did not have a public memorial service but instead had a private gathering at their neighborhood church.
A fund has been set up to help Pat's family. On top of their great loss, they have to cope with her final arrangements, as well as unpaid medical expenses and all with a loss of part of the household income. If we all come together and make a donation, we will make a huge difference in their life just when they need it most.
Normally I would never post a link here offsite, but this is a special case and I don't think it would post properly since if I am not mistaken html is turned off. We have a thread over at the GPWA where there is a widget setup to make a donation if you are so inclined.
Rick