Patricia "Patty" Sheehan

Patricia Sheehan Age 93 September 7, 1926 – June 29, 2020 (As published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on July12, 2020.) "…And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away." That beloved Irish song could have been written about Patty Sheehan. Her smiling Irish eyes lit up every room she entered and every life she touched. Patricia (Goodman) Sheehan, age 93, cherished wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on June 29, after a week in the hospital following emergency abdominal surgery. She was surrounded by her seven children. She would be greatly embarrassed by the length of this obituary, but it is her family's way of telling her story during the COVID pandemic. Patty was born and raised in St. Paul, where she lived her entire life. She was the daughter of Mary McDonough Goodman of County Galway, Ireland, and Halldor (Gudmundsson) Goodman of Manaskal, Iceland. She was the youngest of six siblings, and was preceded in death by Larry, Dolores, Veronica, Monica, and Nancy. She attended St. Mark's grade school, St. Joseph's Academy high school, and the University of Minnesota. Through a mutual friend, she met fellow student Donald Sheehan of Minneapolis. They married in 1949 and were married for 51 years until his death in 2000. Prior to having children, Patty worked at Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, predecessor to Mobil Oil Company. After her children grew older, Patty returned to work, first at Hart Ski Company, and then the State of Minnesota Labor Relations Bureau, from which she retired in 1973. After retiring, Patty and Don relocated to West St. Paul. Two and a half years ago, Patty moved to Timber Hills assisted living in Inver Grove Heights. Patty is survived by all seven of her children: Mary Sheehan (Tony Marra) of Chevy Chase, Maryland Sue Blanton (Randy) of Peoria, Illinois Kathy Sheehan (Joe Grazzini) of Pine City, Minnesota Terry Commerford (Terence, deceased) of Burnsville, Minnesota Patrick Sheehan (Maxine) of White Bear Lake, Minnesota Michael Sheehan (Britney) of Bellevue, Washington Colleen Todd (Mike) of Plymouth, Minnesota She is also survived by her ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, in whom she took endless delight, and by beloved nieces and a sprawling extended family. Patty was a loving, caring, and amazingly dedicated mother to her seven children. Over the decades she attended countless hockey, t-ball and baseball games, piano recitals, school plays, parent-teacher conferences, Campfire Girl meetings and much more, not to mention trips to the emergency room. She attended 46 family graduations from coast to coast. Vivacious and fun-loving, Patty was always ready for a new adventure. She treasured a wide and devoted circle of friends, from her high school days to recent years, who brought great joy to her life, as she did to theirs. She was an avid and accomplished bridge player, and played frequently into her 90s. In earlier years, she loved golf, walking, water aerobics, poker, and the occasional outing to a local casino. She delighted in her Irish heritage, loved to celebrate it, and relished a good scotch on the rocks with a splash. She was a woman of exceptionally strong and enduring faith, and attended daily Mass for many years. Patty regularly gathered large groups around her table. Holiday dinners-or just a regular Sunday-could find as many as 20 people enjoying her cooking. These included extended family, friends, and novices from the Jesuit novitiate in St. Paul. While her kids were growing up, she also welcomed Native American teenage girls from a South Dakota reservation to spend summers with the family. A care-taker by nature, Patty lovingly cared for Don and a series of extended family members as they faced illnesses and aging. Suitcase at the ready, Patty always looked forward to a trip. San Francisco was a frequent destination over the decades, where she shared high-spirited, memorable times with her sister Dolores, three nieces and their families. A long-held dream came true when she and Don visited Ireland for their 30th wedding anniversary. After retiring, she and Don spent winters on the Alabama coast. After his death, South Florida became her winter get-away. At age 80, Patty joined family members on a two-week trip to Iceland to discover her father's Icelandic heritage. There, she climbed glaciers, hiked over lava fields, and ate roasted puffin. Two years later, she joined family members to camp on the Dry Tortugas, tiny islands with no running water 70 miles off Key West. She enjoyed winter cruises in the Caribbean and beyond, weekends at her children's lake homes in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and numerous other trips with her children and grandchildren both in the US and abroad. Patty's family will be forever grateful to the staff at Regions Hospital for their compassionate and loving care of Patty during her final illness, as well as the staff and residents at Timber Hills, for their care and friendship during the past two and a half years. Generous even in death, Patty donated her remains to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program to support medical research and education. August 2021 Update: At the time of her death, the Covid pandemic precluded a celebration of Patty's life. That celebration can now take place. Family and friends will gather on Thursday, August 19, 2021, at the Church of St. Joseph, 1154 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul, MN 55118. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12 noon. Interment will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. Donations in Patty's memory may be made to The Missionary Society of St. Columban, P.O. Box 10, St. Columbans, NE 68056, or the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 7023, Arlington, VA 22116-7023. Thursday, August 19, 2021, at the Church of St. Joseph, 1154 Seminole Ave., West St. Paul, MN 55118. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 12 noon. Interment will follow at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.