Obituary of Patricia Ann Enright

A Celebration Pat Enright lived the truth she spoke every day: “We are all here on earth to help each other.” She lived it as a social worker helping children, single mothers, and the elderly for more than 20 years; as a volunteer at senior care facilities, Sisters of the Road Café, and Legacy Hopewell House Hospice; as a tireless champion for the dignity and rights of immigrants, the poor, and the marginalized; and as a cradle Catholic who rocked the cradle as a member of St. Andrew Church. Pat died at home, in peace and out of pain, on Tuesday, November 19, 2019. Her husband, Jim, and her son, Rob Scheer, were with her. She was 75 years old. She was born Patricia Ann Sasina May 21, 1944, in Johnson City, New York, the third and youngest daughter of Joseph Sasina and Mary (Toman) Sasina. Both her paternal and maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Slovakia, as did her father. Her mother was born in New York State not long after her own parents arrived. Her parents worked for Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company, her mother in the factory, her dad in the tannery (Pat was fond of telling the story that, at age 14, they measured him and said, “You have broad shoulders. You can work.”). While her folks were at work, Pat stayed with her paternal grandparents, whom she adored and who spoke only Slovak. Her grandpa taught her how to cheat at pinochle and curse in Slovak; her grandmother how to bake kolachki with lekvar and poppy seed fillings. Pat graduated from Vestal High School in 1962, went to nursing school for a year, and later attended the State University Agricultural and Technical Institute in Morrisville, New York. In November 1965, she married James Allen Scheer; their son, Robert Joseph Scheer, was born on March 26, 1967. The family later moved to Atlanta, where Jim Scheer conducted research at Georgia Institute of Technology and Pat developed a love for catfish and hushpuppies, North Carolina-style pulled pork, collards, coleslaw, and cornbread. Returning to college as an adult, she earned her bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Georgia State University in June 1983. As a caseworker for the State of Georgia Department of Family and Children Services, her clients included both children and elderly adults in foster care, and single mothers working to break their dependency on drugs and regain custody of their children. Divorced in October 1984, she joined the Atlanta chapter of the Sierra Club and became active in organizing to save the environment. A lifelong enthusiast of nature and the outdoors, she loved hiking in the mountains of North Georgia and, later, many trails in the Pacific Northwest, especially those in the Columbia Gorge. She met—i.e., introduced herself to—Jim Enright at a church Christmas party in 1988. She asked him to dance. He, ever the fool, declined. She later circled back and again asked him to dance. This time, kicked by the Spirit, he said yes. They married on October 6, 1990. On January 5, 1992, Pat was admitted to Atlanta’s Piedmont Hospital with intractable seizures. Doctors induced a coma to stop the seizures, and a brain biopsy determined that they had been triggered by chronic viral encephalitis of unknown origin. Pat was in the hospital for three months, followed by three more months of outpatient speech, physical, and occupational therapy. Encephalitis left her with an epileptic seizure disorder, some cognitive challenges, and profound memory loss. With deep faith and the love and support of family and close friends, she and Jim began building their new life together. In February 1998, Pat and Jim realized their longtime dream of living in the Pacific Northwest when they moved to Portland, Oregon. Taking full advantage of the city’s public transit system, she regained her independence and quickly became a familiar presence on TriMet buses, MAX Light Rail, and Portland Streetcar, telling Jim, “Don’t worry about me. If I have a seizure, God and the angels will take care of me.” They always did. Pat never denied the constellation of illnesses that marked her life, especially in later years, but she also never let them define who she was or what she did. She reveled in life as a journey. Arriving someplace was never as important as meeting people along the way. Fully and deeply relational, she talked to anyone anywhere about anything, often riding past her bus stop to keep a story going. She was attentive to details, but listened deeper to hear each person’s underlying truth. Her Wrigley Field ball cap and “Cubs Win!” pin sparked conversations wherever she went, and she met so many people who said they grew up near Wrigley that Jim often wondered if any homegrown fans were left in Chicago. She loved going to Otto’s in Southeast Portland for hot dogs—for the food, of course, but even more so because it was a two-buses trip each way, doubling her opportunities to meet new people and hear their stories. Her faith, like her relationships, was unfiltered. She was never more at home or at peace, and never radiated more joy, than when she was with her beloved community of St. Andrew, especially during liturgies. Eyes closed, filled with the Spirit, her hands dancing to the music, Pat was always fully present—always, always living the truth proclaimed in “O, Happy Day” and sung by the St. Andrew Gospel Choir: O, happy day! He taught me how To watch and fight and pray, Watch and pray! And live rejoicing every day! Every day! O, happy day! Her funeral Mass and celebration of life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, 2019, at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 806 NE Alberta Avenue, Portland, followed by a reception in the community center. In addition to her husband, Jim Enright, Pat is survived by her son, Robert Scheer, and his wife, Darla Duncan, of Benbrook, Texas, and their family of Alexandra Howell; Hampton Scheer and his wife, Amanda; Naomi Scheer; Carter Scheer; and Jackson Scheer. She is also survived by her sister Dorothy Robble of Whitesboro, New York. Pat was preceded in death by her parents and by her sister Mildred “Mimi” Vanca of Binghamton, New York. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make remembrances to Sisters of the Road Café (sistersoftheroad.org), St. Andrew Catholic Church (standrewchurch.com), the Epilepsy Foundation (epilepsy.com), or the social justice organization or nonprofit of your choice. Veni Sancte Spiritus.