Patricia "Pat" Hirtz's Obituary
Patricia “Pat” Hirtz passed away peacefully at home, Sunday morning June 21, 2015. She was born January 17, 1942 to her loving parents Lawrence and Philomena Corrigan at St. Antony’s Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. She grew up with an older sister Theresa Crannick (Bill), an older brother Charles Corrigan (Pat) and a younger brother James Corrigan (Tamara). Ester an older sister passed away in her childhood. She grew up on a small farm in Wilhelmina, MO and graduated from Campbell High School. She was in separately close to Rita “Knott” Brown; doing everything together from school to church, singing in the choir. Her early childhood years were spent hanging out at her grandpa’s farm in Glennonville, MO. One of her task was to bring water to the young men and women working in the cotton fields. She first meets the love of her life at the age of four sitting on the bank of the ditch on her grandpa’s farm. She was watching George fish and asked, “What are you doing?” Fourteen years later she married this young sailor, George Hirtz on July 25, 1959. And asked; “What will we do?” Together through 55 years of marriage, Pat was a loving and caring wife to George. In answer to her question, George and Pat received many blessings from God. They received the gift of life with the birth of five children: Joseph, George, Barbara, James and Patrick. As a sailor’s wife and mother together they traveled from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans and the anchor landed in Millington, Tn. As George retired from the Navy, our family established our roots moving to Memphis, TN. The move to Memphis did not only mean a new home, but also as a founding family helped build the Catholic Church of the Ascension. As in marriage, Pat’s life weaved raising her children and living her faith in Christ Jesus as one. She faced many of challenges in her life and we first thought we were going to lose Pat as her children were still in early childhood. We can remember being brought to say our good-byes as children. She fought and won the battles with cancers and other medical challenges. Still she never lost or gave up her faith and trust in God. In faith, her service and ministry to church showed her children how to live their lives according to the Word of God. Jesus tells us in the Gospel according to Matthew: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”Pat not only believed the Words of Christ, but she lived and taught us all by her examples how to live according to His word. She gave Christ food in being coordinator of Meals on Wheels and working in the Food Pantry. One of our special memories of her teaching us began with a simple drop off of the meal. Mom not only dropped the food off, but prayed and built a relationship with the recipient of the meal. However, for George and the boys were volunteered to help a wonderful lady more. It began with cutting the grass and finding a hive of bees. With the bees removed from the house, repairs and painting the house became the next project. Was thirsty and you gave me drink, Pat’s example was given as a child and the cotton fields. Her mother and grandmother established these works in her as a young child. They would bake and fix meals for the sick mothers in the community and Pat would deliver the food. She never met a stranger, and always welcomed them as Christ with a bright smile and her big blue eyes. It was not a surprise for us. After my grandfather’s death, grandma moved in with us. As we grew older, the extra bed rooms never went without use. From a medical student to a father relocating to Memphis and seminarians and priests traveling, a room was always offered. She found Christ in serving as coordinator of Ministry to the Sick for Church. The phone would ring and off she went to the hospital to bring communion to the sick. Or she called someone in her network of friends to go. She visited and sat at Patrick’s bedside every day when he was in the hospital and was present for the birth of her first granddaughter, Elizabeth. She visited the prisoned, in a special way as Youth Director; she brought the youth to visit nursing homes and St. Peter’s orphanage as clowns. She brought and taught the youth how to bring joy and hope to the individuals who felt imprisoned and the hopeless. Pat lived a life as loving wife, loving mother and loving Christ and Church as a fine woven basket filled with many graces and blessings from God. She taught us, her children how to live and work with God in our lives. In service to the Church, she was Youth Director, Coordinator of Ministry to the Sick and Meals on Wheels, Member of the Knights of Columbus Lady Axillary, Legion of Mary, Associate Sister of the Good Shepherd Sisters and Vice President of the Women’s Guild. As a daily communicate at mass, she also helped clean the church and polish the candle sticks and wash the pacificators at Church of the Ascension. She also served several years with the Memphis Right to Life Organization calling and asking for help to save lives of the unborn.As we her children grew older, she was able to share the joys of marriage as together George and Pat witnessed sacramental bond marriage. First, Barbara married Chester “Chuck” Allison and gave birth to their first grandchildren: Elizabeth and Joshua. Barbara and Chuck lived in Virginia Beach, VA up until this past fall. Elizabeth married Eric Stacy of Knoxville, TN and have given the gift of life to Benjamin, Emily, Stella and Evelyn. Joshua married Kelly and lives in Bluffton, SC and gave birth to their first child Fielding this past fall. Secondly, Joseph married Debra and gave the gift of life to Christina now living in Tampa, FL. Christy made us all proud with graduating from Brandon High School with Honors this spring. James married Terry and helped raise her son, Cody as they live in Memphis. George is single and lives in Holly Springs, MS. Patrick was ordained a Roman Catholic Priests and serves as Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Germantown, Tn. Together as family, we have faced many challenges in life and our loving mother and father were always there to help, to pray and to point us in the right direction. Their 55 years of marriage have shown us to face the challenges of life with trust and belief in God.What are we going to do question became where were we going next? Pat’s favorite joy was to travel, being a part of the Navy, we moved several times across the country from Glennonville to Alamedo, CA back to Memphis, Memphis to La Moore, CA back to Memphis, Memphis to Jacksonville, and Jacksonville to Memphis. As Dad neared retirement, they purchased a place on the Tennessee River for us to enjoy and dad to fish. With her love for travel, she visited many of her family and friends. She loved to go on pilgrimages with church friends and Fr. Rick Micky. She marched in Washington, D.C. for the Right to Life. She loved their RV. Together with Bob and Clobeaut Laszacs, they spent many hours at the river. However, each new RV got bigger and better as they visited Joe and Deb, Barbara and Chuck and the casinos often. Her last trip out of the house was with Dad, Barbara and Chuck and Fr. Patrick to Orange Beach, AL.Three years ago, the question came again. What are we going to do? Pat, wife, mother and friend began to show signs of our human frailty. Prior to Father Patrick’s ordination, her speech began to slur and weakness showed as she walked. This was the first major symptoms of ALS. Her body began to get weaker as days passed by. Many trips to the ER and doctor visits. George became a witness to everyone who saw him care for her. He never left her at home when she was able to travel. She also let him know and others when she was not where she was supposed to be. Early in her battle, George brought her to church for the women’s guild meeting. He was going to let her sit in the back of the room, but she would not be quiet. Not until she was at her place in the front in her Vice President’s place. I cannot count how many times his care for her was told to us. Everywhere we went, he gave his gift of love to mom as a witness to all. Thank You Dad for all you have done. James and Terry stepped up and moved in to help dad care for mom. James and Terry worked full time jobs and would come to check on her during their lunch breaks. When the time came for the care for mom during the day increased; Barbara made the sacrifice of pulling up her roots in Virginia Beach after 31 years to come and care for her mother. Chuck and Barbara not only cared for mom, but also dad in the final weeks of her life. I can’t put into words how blessed we are to have a family together in the challenges of life. Thank You is not enough. How can we thank God for all he has given us? The question is asked again, what are we doing? We are going to live! We are going to remember mom! We are going to follow her examples! We are going to praise and thank God for the life He has given us with Pat, wife, mother and friend.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, (901) 767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall.”
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