Patricia Meehan

Patricia Ann (Austin) Meehan was born in Chicago on May 2, 1945. “Pat” attended St. Patrick’s High School for Girls in Des Plaines. She met Richard James Meehan, Sr., the brother of her close friend, in 1962. He took her to the Post Office Dinner Dance in 1963, where she won a $25 dollar gift certificate and Richard’s heart. They were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Des Plaines in 1965.

They built a home in Mt. Prospect, had a son (Richard James “Jimmy” Meehan, Jr.) in 1966 and a daughter (Susan Lynn Meehan) in 1970. While her kids attended school at St. Zachary Catholic Grade School, Pat volunteered as a room mom, Den Mother, Casino Night volunteer and Spaghetti Dinner hostess.

Pat worked for Venture Stores in Mount Prospect for about 16 years and was instrumental in many facets of retail, helping open stores throughout the area in the 1980’s. She retired from Venture Stores in 1993, after which she and her husband moved to Durham, North Carolina. They lived in Durham for 19 years and returned to Elgin in 2012.

Pat welcomed daughter-in-law Ellen and son-in-law Ed with open arms. In her eyes, Ellen and Ed became her own children as soon as her kids fell in love with them.

Pat was loving, nurturing, well read and well informed and an overall class act. She was a kind and thoughtful soul who was never happier than when she was hearing about the lives of those she loved. She would drop everything to be there for her people – her parents, her husband, her kids and grandogs, her nieces and nephews, their spouses, their children, her cousins and her “bonus kids” (Jimmy’s and Susan’s close friends). She cared for everyone she met and never forgot them no matter how long it had been since she saw them last. She clipped articles and recipes and coupons for her family. She didn’t like to talk about herself but could listen to others talk for hours. She could also (and would if you let her!) sit with a baby in her arms for hours. Her children learned their love of books and animals, their ability to feed a crowd, and their willingness to serve from her.

She was the love of Richard’s life. She was his everything - his caregiver, his listener, the corrector of grammar, validator of dates, and his angel on earth. He knows she will continue to care for him, just from a little higher up. She was a true diamond and heaven gained a beautiful angel when she passed away unexpectedly on August 3, 2023.

She was preceded in death by her father (Stephen Lee Austin) and her mother (Alice Austin).

She was the granddaughter, daughter and wife of a veteran

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her name to Wounded Warriors Project.

A memorial visitation will be held on Sunday, August 13th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at the Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory 95 S. Gilbert St. (at Middle St.) South Elgin, Il.