Patricia Bidwill

Patricia Bidwill passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her family, on October 9, 2019, after a long and courageous struggle with Parkinson’s Disease. Pat was born Patricia Ann Moran, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, a city alongside the bluffs of the Mississippi River, on July 31, 1930. She was the first child of Dr. Clement and Helen Mullen Moran (a nurse), later joined by brothers Terry and Brian, and her sister Mary. She grew up in La Crosse. When her father deployed to the South Pacific as an Army doctor after the United States entered World War II, the family remained in La Crosse until the end of the war. After the war, they relocated to Burlington, Wisconsin, and later to River Forest, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Pat graduated from Nazareth Academy and attended the College of St. Teresa in Winona, Minnesota, ultimately graduating from Rosary College in River Forest. On August 2, 1952, she married Neal Bidwill, a Chicago paving contractor, and together they had five children. They raised their family in the Chicago suburbs, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and Fort Lauderdale, moving permanently to Fort Lauderdale in 1975. She was a resident of Sea Ranch Lakes, Florida for almost fifty years, and once served a two year term on the Town Commission in the early 1990s.

A sweeter, kinder woman you will never meet. She was blessed with a very large Irish Catholic family, and countless close friends, all of whom were equally blessed to have her as part of their lives. Her love for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren was unconditional. In her role as mother and grandmother, she personified selflessness. In fact, dozens considered her their “second mother,” and considered her home their second home, as her hospitality and welcoming personality was second to none. Her home was for decades a constant hub of activity, as the “Welcome” mat was always out. An outstanding cook, and the keeper of a well-stocked kitchen (including her widely acclaimed tuna salad), few left her home hungry or thirsty, and she could always be counted on to provide a blanket and a pillow for a weary head.

A descendant of famine era Irish immigrants who settled up and down the Mississippi River, she was fiercely proud of her Irish heritage, and enjoyed trips to the Emerald Isle on multiple occasions. She was a font of knowledge about all things Irish, especially her ancestry. A voracious reader, as evidenced by the veritable library within her home, she enjoyed reading fiction, as well as American and Irish history. Committed to fitness, she was a runner and tennis player in her younger years, and ultimately became a devoted walker. She loved to walk, and she walked fast. She walked 4-5 miles daily, usually taking multiple laps around Sea Ranch Lakes, until she was 80 years old. She loved movies, dining out (especially dessert), the beach, a nice glass of wine, and spending time with her family and friends. She lived to spoil her grandchildren, who fondly recall grandma’s liberal distribution of ice cream and sweets, as well as her dogs and her children’s dogs.

Most importantly, Pat was a woman of strong faith. A devout Catholic, she was a long time member of Assumption Catholic Church, where she attended mass to the end of her life. She touched many lives in her 89 years on this earth, especially her family and friends. Her passing constitutes a profound loss for all of us, but we are sustained by our wonderful memories, and the knowledge that her many years of suffering have come to an end. She is survived by her sister Mary Ewald, her five children, Joseph, Martin, Mary, Jane, and Catherine, their spouses, fifteen grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and dozens of nieces and nephews, all who loved her dearly.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at Assumption Catholic Church, 2001 S. Ocean Boulevard, Lauderdale By The Sea, Florida, on Monday October 14, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. The family will receive friends and relatives at the Church at 10:00 a.m. Arrangements are being handled by Kraeer-Fairchild Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Patricia’s name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson’s Research, Michaeljfox.org.