ON August 30 Patricia Palmer was laid to rest after an emotional ceremony at the Holy Cross Church in Kingston.

Palmer was loved by many and when news spread of her passing on August 21, many were thrown into mourning.

Below is the text of the remembrance to Palmer by her sister Dr Monica Lawrence and her nieces.

Just the thought of Pat will put a smile on the face of anyone who knows her.

‘Pat’, Patricia, ‘Shirley’, ‘Bambi’, ‘Browning’ as she was affectionately called, varied according to the circumstance of your acquaintance with her. ‘Pat’ by her close friends — ‘Shirley’ if you knew her as a baby — ‘Bambi’ by Phil and ‘Browning’ if you are a vendor in the market.

Pat was the eldest of three girls born to Enos and Lillian Potts. This crown of being the firstborn she wore with such pride that, even your stance and tone must be delivered with respect or you were reminded sternly that she was the eldest.

At a very young age the Potts girls, as we were affectionately called by the Sisters of Mercy, were shipped off to a convent boarding school in Mandeville — Mount St Joseph Academy — where we spent most of our childhood. On reflection Pat would express how happy she was at being sent to a Catholic boarding school, because it shaped our lives forever. She expressed that the nuns taught her humility and that no one was inferior, but you were merely more privileged than another and all must be treated with respect.

Most importantly, their spiritual guidance was our beacon for life.

Pat later attended The Convent of Mercy, Alpha. She gained a BSc at the University of the West Indies and then pursued an MBA at the University of New Orleans.

In 1979 Pat met a tall and handsome tennis professional Philbert Palmer, affectionately called ‘Bambi’, whom she married. The union produced Natalie and Randy. The three were the joy of her life to the extent that they could do no wrong. They all celebrated their birthdays in November, so each year one event was planned to celebrate them all. All three shared the same physical build, being so tall and lanky, with Pat merely reaching their shoulders, if at all.

Her passion was in helping people, hence her career in human resource management moving through industries such as banking, manufacturing, insurance and Investment companies to her last employer Caribbean Cable Company in Old Harbour as human resource manager.

She was also a part-time lecturer at Northern Caribbean University. Her love for imparting knowledge to her students was the most important thing, whether it meant giving them extra lessons or finding ways to simplify a concept so they were better able to comprehend.

Pat was also very active at Holy Cross Church which she attended since childhood. In church she was a Reader and Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist. Pat was totally committed to attending church and even when the family went on our yearly Easter vacation to Negril, she reminded us all that church was at 7 o’clock the next morning, so we should all meet in the lobby and don’t be late.

At church she delighted in singing all the hymns although to us, sitting beside her, we readily recognised she did not have a melodious tone. Once I said to her, ‘Pat can’t you hear that you are off-key’. She pulled up and reminded me I did not have to stand beside her and sang even louder.

She was an ardent supporter of funerals and thought it necessary to attend funerals of even distant acquaintances in order to give moral support.

Her kindness was extended to every animal and she was able to see beauty in every flower, tree and bush.

You all will wonder why a goat is featured among her pictures in the programme! Well, hear this…her most recent pet was a goat that was purchased by Caribbean Cable Company to fatten for Christmas feast. Pat delighted in updating us on the goat’s progress while she was counselling the goat, telling it how to behave so that the workers would grow to love it and not want to butcher it.

How can you counsel a goat Pat?

She replied, “I told the goat not to buck anybody and behave himself and try making friends and not enemies.”

She then stated, “When I am done he will be everybody’s friend.”

Pat had the ability to make you fall in love with anything she had a passion for. She did not care if you were not listening. She would still talk nonetheless.

She would constantly send me clippings of Clovis’ cartoons in the Jamaica Observer which expressed the daily happenings in Jamaica. She was an ardent fan of Twilight Saga and soon made the whole female side of the family become fanatics. She must have watched the movie 1,000 times over and knew the lines by heart.

Remembrance from her nieces Souad and Imani

This is above and beyond comprehension. I can’t even begin to understand the reason behind all of this. All I know is, you were an amazing woman and I am honoured to have called you aunty. I will forever cherish the memories we shared.

You were our backbone, storyteller, joke giver, lover of every animal, Clovis’ cartoon updater, master chef, motivator, mentor, shoulder, link to everything downtown in the market, and saint.

May your soul rest in peace and may your skin always sparkle like the Cullens. Until we meet again Aunty Patricia Potts-Palmer.

In closing, these are the sentiments Pat would convey:

To dear Sister Paschael and Sister Annunciata she would say, “Thank you for being my second mother and shaping me in the person I had become. I do love you, Sister Paschael.”

To Father Don Chambers she would say: “Philbert will now visit you regularly bringing that special gift.”

To her husband and children Philbert, Randy and Natalie: “I love you all so much and remember I am now your guardian angel.”

To Yvonne her younger sister and Chad her nephew: “Remember that Monica will always be there for you, Not as patient as I was, but she will be there.”

To Jimmy her brother-in-law she would say: “You are my genius…beg you help Phil with the renovations.”

To my darling nieces Souad and Imani: “I will be watching over you both.”

To my family and dear friends: “Be comforted in knowing that I am at peace with my Father and will be there to meet and greet you all someday.”