Patricia (Pusateri) Whale

Patricia Whale, 89, Springdale resident for over 60 years, quietly passed away Saturday, July 13th, 2024, in her home with family after a brief battle with cancer. She was just 1 week shy of her 90th birthday.

Rose Patricia was born to Samuel Paul Pusateri & Rose Patricia Hayden on July 19, 1934, she was known as “Pat” by most and affectionately called “Sis” by her 5 brothers and 2 sisters whom she squired as the eldest daughter of her family. Raised and educated in Carrick, PA, she graduated from Carrick High School in 1952.  She worked as a stenographer at Westinghouse where she met a handsome army veteran, Norman, who had been hired on as an engineer.  She asked if he would like to attend a company event with her.  He said yes, and the rest is history.  The two were married on Feb. 21, 1959. Moving to Springdale, Pat and Norm established their family home where they raised their 4 children.  A homemaker for much of her life, Pat was a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and a member of their Mothers’ Club.  Pat knew how to stretch a dollar and to help augment the family budget, she sold Tupperware, Amway, and did home parties for clothing lines and toy companies at Christmas and held a job at the Shop’n Save. Coupons were clipped and grocery shopping included stops at several stores to save a few dollars.  She loved a good bargain! When her children had grown, she took a job for the Consumer Price Index, a job she truly enjoyed, retiring in her 70’s. This affiliation afforded her few minutes of fame when she was interviewed on a local news station in conjunction with the monthly CPI results.

Pat’s young family enjoyed many weekends and vacations traveling on the east coast with a pop-up tent trailer.  Every holiday and all celebrations meant a large boisterous gathering with the extended Pusateri family and friends, many with Pat as hostess and cook extraordinaire.  After retirement, Norm and Pat enjoyed traveling, especially cruising, and weekends with their friends and family at their trailer at Smith’s Grove Campground in Butler.  She was a big fan of the corn roast at Smith’s Grove, bingo, the Pittsburgh Steelers, knitting, sewing, quilting and crafting and trips to casinos with friends. In recent years, she enjoyed the Oakmont Senior Center activities, crocheting for veterans, her orchids, and the birds at her feeder. 

To say Pat, our Mom, was opinionated would be an understatement.  She just knew the way things should be done.  She takes our hearts with her, but leaves behind many family memories, traditions, and “Pat”isms.  Here are a few that immediately come to mind:  Every meal served, no matter what the group size was, needed all to be seated around her dining room table and olives were always on the menu for special occasions. A family picture must be taken on her sofa of all the grandchildren present, again, the rule was it had to be on the sofa.  Christmas stockings always included a tangerine in the toe and Santa always hung candy canes on the tree before he left our house.  Baby Jesus in the manger had to be covered by tissue or a napkin until Christmas morning because he was not yet born. Pink sponge curlers or ponytails were placed in her daughters’ hair with the saying, “Beauty must suffer”.  A visiting cardinal in the yard or at the feeder always signaled a departed loved one was visiting you. And there were many more! These memories will forever bring a smile in remembrance. We are sure that she is squaring away a few things in heaven before we arrive. 

Pat is preceded in death by her husband, Norman in 2012. She is survived by her 4 children:  Albert (Lisa) of Pittsburgh, Laura Travitz (Ron) of Salisbury, MD, Mary Hillman (Scott) of Jeannette, and Paul of Springdale; 13 grandchildren; 4 great grandchildren; a brother Lawrence Pusateri (Elaine) of Bethel Park, and several nieces, nephews and their children.

Friends & family will be received Friday, July 19th at CHARLES B. JARVIE SPRINGDALE FUNERAL HOME INC. 801 Pittsburgh St, from 10am until blessing services at noon with burial to follow in Springdale Cemetery.  Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the American Cancer Society.

www.jarviefuneralhome.com

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