Patricia Mccarthy Savage Gogolin

Patricia McCarthy Savage Gogolin, 89, spent her last day laughing and joking with friends and family, being visited by a pair of comfort dogs, making rude gestures to doctors, indulging in her favorite Handel’s coffee ice cream, and sharing a glass of wine with her daughter and a family friend. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Irene (Hub) and James McCarthy in October 1928, she moved as an infant with her family to Toledo. Pat, as she was known to anyone wishing to avoid a “glare capable of burning a hole through your soul,” graduated from St. Ursula Academy in 1946 and went on to attend Mary Manse College and Toledo University as it was then known. There she earned a bachelor’s Degree in art education and later went on to teach art classes at the University. Continuing her work as an educator, she was involved in the launch of the area’s initial Head Start program, starting as a lead teacher with the organization in 1968. Even after leaving a formal education setting, she continued teaching friends and family proper grammar and the correct use of adjectives in sentences. Each day, time was spent completing New York Times crossword puzzles, always in red ink, and Pat was more than happy to take on challengers in occasional games of Scrabble which ultimately ended with the complete and total humiliation of the challengers. A lifelong, “died in the wool” Democrat, she worked for many years as a legislative aide for Congressman Thomas “Lud” Ashley who she remained friends with until his death in 2010. Pat was a self-proclaimed political junky known to telephone unexpectedly, exclaim “Are you watching C-SPAN right now?” – a question most people found impossible to honestly answer – and then launch into a rant regarding the ongoing absurdity in Washington. Possessing a sharp tongue and quick wit, she would sum up the offending member of congress’ numerous shortcomings and then end the call just as abruptly and without ceremony. Throughout her life, Pat worked as a tailor and seamstress and her home was filled with scores of quilts that she created by hand. An accomplished artist herself, she also collected paintings, antiques and examples of early Americana. She loved Christmas and was known for her extremely tall trees that often needed to be secured for stability to the vaulted ceiling of her home. Each of the decorations for the tree, collected over decades, had a story or history and a specific place on the tree. Those that were inadvertently hung incorrectly needed to be immediately moved to the proper location. Pat married James Edward Savage in 1956 and their family flourished. Out of necessity, she learned to cook for an army, always welcoming the children’s friends, and later their spouses and children, to join her at meals. If the gatherings weren’t already large enough, Pat kept a beloved Irish Setter at her side throughout her life. Equally considered as much her children as her human family, it is estimated that she may have had more than one hundred of the red-haired dogs ending with her final companion Maime. As her final day drew to a close, she said to the staff at the Ebeid Hospice Residence, “Don’t you take my wine!” and Pat ended her wonderful day with two of her children by her side and went on to join her beloved husband James, oldest son James Jr., youngest daughter Katherine and her six siblings. Pat is survived by children Daniel, Timothy, Anne, Sarah, Elizabeth, Elton Jr., Alice, Charles, Carl, favorite sons and daughters-in-law and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and life-long, best friend Wayne Siddens. A small gathering to celebrate her life will take place at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 W. Sylvania Avenue, on Friday, February 16 from 2 to 7 pm with a prayer service at 5:30 PM. Contributions in leu of flowers can be made to the Lake Erie Islands Historical Society (www.leihs.org) or the Irish Setter Club of America (www.irishsetterclub.org).