Rosario (Pat) Patane

Rosario “Pat” Patane, age 92 of Pompton Lakes, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 with the comfort of family by his side.

Pat was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. The second of Dominick and Sebastina Patane’s four children, he loved playing all kinds of sports including baseball, football, basketball, tennis, handball and even a game called fistball. If Pat was nowhere to be found there was a real good chance he had picked up a game of sandlot baseball or football in the street between the parked cars with the other neighborhood boys.

Soon after graduating from Brooklyn’s Alexander Hamilton High School with the Class of 1940, he received what he described as “one of those Dear Pat letters” from Uncle Sam. Pat and was drafted into the U.S. Army on December 12, 1942, and inserted right in the middle of World War II. He remained on U.S. soil in Florida and served in the Coast Artillery Corps as a medic where he and his comrades were responsible for coastal and harbor defense. Eventually, he was assigned to Virginia Beach and ultimately to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. While at Fort Bragg, Pat played baseball for the Fort Bragg team. He recalled coming up to bat against Max Lanier, a Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals who, like Pat, was also drafted into the Army. Pat described Max as a really tough pitcher to hit…..so tough that the only way he could get on base was by bunting. Pat was awarded the American Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal upon being discharged on February 2, 1946.

After Pat was honorably discharged from the Army, his friends Joe Gomez and Jack Jackavino brought Pat to one of their gatherings where he met a beautiful and charming young lady named Gloria Sbert. The two of them hit it off that night and they had their first official date a short time later at a famous restaurant in New York City where they shared a meal together out on the veranda. They fell in love and one night Pat asked Gloria, “If I ask you to marry me, would you marry me?” As she looked into his eyes and smiled adoringly she exclaimed….. “Yes!” They exchanged their wedding promises before God, family and friends on Saturday, April 15, 1950 at St. Stephen R.C. Church in Brooklyn, then they enjoyed a simple reception at a local hall where sandwiches and coffee were served. Their honeymoon followed in Virginia Beach, VA and they were just one day shy of 65 years of blessed marriage!

For a few years Pat worked at his brother John’s auto service station in Brooklyn, NY. His shop was just around the corner from the family’s 2nd Street home. He soon found work in New York City having worked in the offices of Chase & SanBorn Coffee. Life’s journey took Pat into the insurance industry and for many years he worked for Murphy & Jordan Insurance in Rutherford, NJ. He commuted to New Jersey from Brooklyn but was so tired when he got home he wouldn’t even eat dinner before going to bed. Since the children were all young he and Gloria decided to move to New Jersey. They found a home in Pompton Lakes where they raised their family and have lived for the past fifty-nine years. After moving to New Jersey Pat worked for the William Romano Insurance Agency in Short Hills, and Kenilworth before retiring in 2002. Never being one who could completely retire, he took a job as a school crossing guard where he was entrusted to cross the children at Riverview Road and Ramapo Ave. in Pompton Lakes. He took this responsibility very seriously and came to love the kids he crossed, often referring to them as “My children.” He described being at his post as being like a shepherd, counting the kids as they went to school and as they came home. Pat safely crossed the kids for twelve straight years, from 2002 until October, 2014.

The family will never forget station wagon vacations all over the place. Pat would drive just about anywhere. The only problem was his whole family had to listen to his opera music on the journey. On a few occasions they went to destinations such as Gettysburg and Hershey Park, PA but most of these station wagon trips involved a location where Pat could get his fishing line wet. Fishing and crabbing trips on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, Lake George, NY, Brielle, Point Pleasant and Sandy Hook, NJ were where many memories were made. Annual apple picking trips to Warwick, NY were again serenaded by opera music. The family would tailgate in true Italian style by eating lasagna while sitting on the back of the car. The kids fondly remember squirreling apples under the seats of the car to avoid having to pay for all the apples they picked.

Like any good fisherman, Pat had some great fishing stories. Like the time he took his 17 1/2-foot Sea Nymph up the St. Lawrence Seaway with his son-in-law Rich. They were fishing for salmon that day and like any other fishing trip, when you got a bite, the code was to say “Fish on Hook.” When you said that, everyone else pitched in to help. On this particular trip, Rich uttered the code….”Fish on Hook” and he and Pat went to work. Well, this salmon was the mother of all salmon. As other boats stood by, this fish dragged Pat’s boat causing it to crash into another boat. The fish eventually lost the battle but while bringing the boat out of the water, the engine prop hit a rock and busted. When they got to the cabin, Pat questioned “What could happen next?” Before he could finish uttering his question, the chair he was sitting in broke.

Before another fishing trip to Cape Vincent in New York State, Pat had his big green Plymouth station wagon checked over mechanically. With everything in seemingly good order, he and the guys with him headed up the highway. Not far on their way, the oil light on the car’s dashboard came on and before he knew it, that old Plymouth was completely void of oil. A Good Samaritan stopped and gave Pat two quarts of oil, just enough to get him to a gas station so he could have the car checked. The mechanic took Pat and the other guys to a bungalow to sleep, then called the next day when the car was ready. With the station wagon fixed, Pat and the guys continued toward their fishing destination. Everyone was smoking cigars in the car, when all of a sudden, there was smoke coming up from under the seat and soon the whole car was engulfed in smoke. They never fished that weekend. Too bad! If they caught salmon and were coming home when the car filled with smoke, at least they could have had smoked salmon.

Pat was one of the New York Yankees’ biggest fans. He could remember listening to games on the radio, hearing legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey, Tony Lazzeri, and Phil Rizzuto make Yankee history. Pat also loved to play golf (he had six sets of clubs dating back to 1950), and he was a member of North Jersey Country Club during the 1970’s. He also was a pretty good bowler, playing with the Knights of Columbus for many years.

Pat was very sincere in his faith. He was a faithful parishioner of St. Mary’s RC Church where he served as an usher for almost fifty-five years. He loved going to church and spoke about how he loved all the priests in his parish. Rest in Peace Pat, in the arms of your Lord and Savior!

Pat is survived by his beloved wife Gloria (nee Sbert); his five loving daughters: Diane Schmiedhauser of Butler, Patricia Patane of Pompton Lakes, Joann and husband Kevin Maurer of Little Falls, Lisa and husband Rich Rayment of Lincoln Park, and Theresa “Terry” Patane of Butler; nine cherished grandchildren: Melissa, Eric, Chris, Kim, Katie, Kyle, Andrea, Shawn, and Noel; and four adored great-grandchildren: Ryan, Mia, Caleigh and Michael. Pat was predeceased by his two brothers and one sister: John and Salvatore and Agatha “Ida” Patane, and son-in-law, Michael Schmiedhauser.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Pat’s name are asked to consider St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142, or at www.stjude.org