Pattie was a spark of light in the lives of her entire family, as well as her countless friends and acquaintances. Her genuine warmth, spontaneous humor, and passionate zest for life were truly enlightening.
Patricia Ann Clapp Grepares, 89, was born on January 17th, 1932 in Joliet Il. and she peacefully passed away on Feb. 6th, 2021 in Houston, Tx.
Pattie was preceded in death by her beloved husband Theodore (Teddy Bear) Andrew Grepares, her son Benjamin (Bennie) Joseph Grepares, and her parents Benny & Lorene Clapp. Survived by her devoted sisters Timma Koepke and her husband, Richard; and Christina (Chrissy) Klass; her loving children, Andrew (Andy) Theodore Grepares and wife, Jan; Gregory (Greg) David Grepares and wife, Sharon; Diana (DeeDee) Lorene Wright and husband, Glen; and Anthony (Tony) John Grepares; and Pattie’s adoring grandchildren: Matthew Grepares; Nathan Grepares and partner, Madison Lancaster; Dustin Lowery, and wife, Kristen; Nicholas Grepares and fiancé, Elizabeth Erickson; Logan Grepares; Kristina Buck; Jade Grepares; Yanniz Grepares; Crystal Grepares; Adony Grepares; and great grandchildren: Lucy Lowery; Braden Grepares; and Ahlaeya Grepares.
Pattie’s passion for life has left an indelible mark on the hearts of all of those she loved.
Family and friends will gather to celebrate this wonderful woman's life at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 17 at Waltrip Funeral Directors, 1415 Campbell Road in Houston, Texas, 77055. Services will be live streamed at https://youtu.be/9tA-T2XuoJ0
Mom’s Legacy
It’s an honor to be here before all of you today, to share my thoughts and memories of my mother, Pattie. Her given name was Patricia Ann Clapp. But to her children, she was mom, to a couple of special younger friends, she was considered a second mom, to her grandchildren, she was Mimi. It seems we all knew mom in our own special way. She was a special friend to many: a sister; a sister-in-law; an aunt; a wife; a mother; a mother-in-law; and a loving grandmother, who held a deep and special love for each and every one of her grandchildren. As I share my thoughts and memories about Pattie today, my hope is that her grandchildren will be touched in a special way. I hope her grandchildren will gain a greater insight into just who their grandmother really was, by knowing more about the life and legacy of their beloved Mimi.
Mom had a childlike sweetness about her. Some people live this life and leave no footprints in the sand. That’s not so of mom. Her presence will be carried on by each and every one of us, to the end of our days. We may call this her legacy. To honor this legacy, we should all strive to be there for one another, just as she was there for us.
Everyone who knew mom probably has a story of their own to tell; I’d like to share a few stories of mine, starting by reaching back in time.
One bright sunny morning in 1960, mom brought home our first puppy, she named him TimTam. She told my little brother Bennie and I that TimTam was her puppy, then quickly followed up with the assurance that she would share the fluffy little black and white puppy with us. That was a good move, because TimTam, Bennie & I quickly became the best of friends!
One fall afternoon in 1961, my mother left me in charge of my little brother Bennie on the Taft school playground, while she was meeting with Mrs. Butterfield, my 1st grade teacher. Bennie liked to slide backwards down the sliding-board. Although mom sternly cautioned him against doing so, of course he did it anyway, after all, he WAS a little boy! Half way down the slide, Bennie stiffened his arm, fell off the slide, and landed on the pavement below, directly on the back of his head. When I realized I couldn’t get him to respond, I ran quickly to my classroom to get my mom. I told her “Mom, Bennie fell off the sliding board, and he’s not moving.” Bennie had a severe concussion, and narrowly avoided losing his life. Although I don’t remember my parents ever blaming me, I always felt responsible. I believe I felt a level of responsibility for my little brother Bennie, for the rest of his life.
As a young child, I went to mom on countless occasions in the dead of night asking for her help, due to my bronchitis issues. I’d whisper mommy, I can’t breathe. She always knew exactly what to do, which included setting-up the vaporizer & rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on my chest, staying right there with me, until I began to feel better.
I remember on several occasions, mom taking dad dinner, to his place of work at the Olin Company’s machine shop in Shanahan. My little brother Bennie and I were always excited to tag along. It was so noisy there that I’d clasp my hands over my ears to block out the noise. Mom always cautioned us to stay away from the huge containers of sharp metal shavings in the machine shop, she’d caution us, “don’t get too close, those shavings are as sharp as razorblades.” Dad was always so glad to see us, it seemed to be as much a treat for him as it was for us.
One afternoon in 1962, we suddenly found ourselves in the midst of a terrifying electrical storm. As my mother was quickly bringing the conversation with her mother to an end, our home was struck by a powerful bolt of lightning. As she was reaching to hang up the handheld telephone receiver, it exploded in her hand; the lightening next traveled from the phone up to the kitchen ceiling light fixture, which I was standing directly under, and then it struck me. I woke up a few minutes later, with mom crying over my seemingly lifeless body... Since then, no matter what task is at hand, I like to shine.
In the early spring of 1963, a few months before my brother Greg was born, dad purchased our family’s first set of new Dining Room and Family Room furniture, and as an extra added bonus, he also bought mom a fancy new hi-fi record player (for Mimi’s grandchildren and anybody else who might not know, Hi-Fi Record Players came before stereos). Mom loved music so much, she cherished that hi-fi! It came with several albums; I’ll always remember mom playing her albums, with the windows open, a cool spring breeze drifting through our farm-home, and listening to the music by Johnny Mathis, Ray Charles, and Roger Miller, filling the air.
In 1965, my father was offered a job promotion opportunity in Wheeling, Ill. We pulled up our roots and moved from our Lockport farm-home life to Palatine. I always thought I wanted to move from the farm, to a real neighborhood, that is, until we moved from the farm, to a real neighborhood. The move was especially difficult for Bennie, because it meant leaving his best friend Danny Castillo behind. Mom was right there with us, to help us learn to adjust to a different lifestyle than that which we’d always known. Because of Bennie’s olive skin tone and his Latin sounding surname, the Wood Street Elementary school principal wanted to place him in an ESL class. A couple of days later, the school called my mother to report that Bennie was missing from school. After some very panicked moments, Bennie walked up to the front door of our home. That little 8 1/2 year old boy had walked the 2+ miles home, mostly down the Route 14 highway, in protest of our family’s relocation.
Somewhere around 1968 - 1969, when I was between 13 and 14 years old, my mom and I started on a mother & son project. We visited a plaster of paris shop in downtown Palatine, and purchased a couple of unpainted religious figures. By the time we were finished, her and I had painted an entire manger scene, including The Three Wise Men, a donkey, a shepherd, a camel, an ox, and a baby lamb. I had even found a small, to scale manger, plus a small angel, at the local dime store, to provide housing for baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Mom proudly set that manger scene up every year at Christmastime, for everyone’s enjoyment, for the rest of her life.
Mom was a superb cook. How I wish we could enjoy just one more of her tasty meals. Some of my favorites were her Fried Chicken, Barbecue Chicken, Chicken Soup, Chicken Salad, and Swiss Steak, to name a few... ANYTHING BUT LIVER! When it came to dessert, her made from scratch pumpkin pie, made from freshly picked pumpkins from the fields of our family farm in Lockport, Illinois was delicious. Her homemade cheesecake with graham cracker crust was a delight, but they were no match for her buttery, crispy, glazed Christmas Cookies!
Mom was always our family’s spirit of Christmas; she spared no effort to decorate our family home in an exceptional way. We all looked forward to enjoying the magic of mom’s Christmas decorating, and she was generous beyond measure with her gift giving. All topped off with her delicious home cooked Christmas feast!
In 1972, our entire family moved to Houston. Shortly after, my mother began a career in the multi-family management industry as a leasing agent, at The Marble Arch Apartment Community. I was just 19 years old, when she recommended something to me that she had taken notice of and found to be intriguing. Through her simple act of motherly love, a seed was planted, and the course of my life was forever changed, and blessed beyond measure. She recommended that I should consider looking into starting a carpet cleaning business. The rest is history.
Mom was passionate in her commitment to the welfare of her family and friends. Looking back, she cared even more than I may have realized, probably more than any of us realized. Sure, mom made her fair share of mistakes along her way in life; we’ve all made mistakes, it’s part of our humanity. I learned a lesson from my dear grandmother, Lala Rene, years ago, that we are at our best as a family when we’ve learned to love and accept one another unconditionally, in spite of our flaws, just as our Lord and Savior loves us.
As I’ve grown older, I occasionally find myself feeling a sense of remorse for the times I might have fallen short of mom’s expectations. But, those times never stopped her from loving me, encouraging me, or supporting me. One thing is for certain, through good times and bad, mom loved us all, completely.
In closing, I want to say thank you mom, for the lessons in life you taught us, both what to do, & what not to do. And most of all, thank you mom, for the legacy of love you’ve left us.
Andy Grepares
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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