Family and travel was all Pat needed
Dedicated wife, mother, grandmother
THOUGH it has long closed its doors as a pub and cabaret venue, The Whitehorse Hotel in Ruthven St will long hold fond memories for Oakey man John Webster.
It was at the Whitehorse Hotel where Mr Webster was working in the pub’s heyday of the early 1980s that Mr Webster met the love of his life, Pat Jones.
“I will tell you a story of how we met as many of you do not know how it happened,” Mr Webster told the crowd at his wife’s funeral last month.
“Back in 1983 I was having a drink at the Whitehorse Hotel and I saw two ladies walk in.
“I said ‘hello’ and we started talking.
“When I looked into Pat’s eyes I knew that I had to know her better but unfortunately she left before I could ask her out.
“Lucky for me, the following Sunday I was working at the Crown Hotel (corner Margaret and Neil streets) as a doorman and in walked Pat and she smiled at me and said ‘I only came down here to see you’... and it went from there.
“Fourteen months later I started to ask her to marry me but she never gave me a straight answer.
“One weekend we went to the RSL at Tweed Heads to see (pop band of the 1970s/80s) the Village People.
“After the show we went down to the lounge area for a few drinks.
“Again I asked her to marry me, again to no answer.
“Then, being the idiot I started to bite her toes and asking her again.
“Then this sweet old lady in the next booth said to Pat, ‘Just say yes and put him out of his misery’.
“The rest is history.” The couple was married on February 2, 1985, and at the time of her death last month, Pat and John Webster had been married for 33 years.
Patricia Ruth Jones was
born in Toowoomba on August 10, 1952, the daughter of Emlyn and Merinda Jones.
The young Patricia attended Harristown State Primary School before going onto Harristown State High School for her secondary education.
After school she worked in daycare for some years until marrying John Webster after which she became a dedicated and full-time housewife and mother.
Though a very dedicated wife, mother and eventually grandmother and great-grandmother, Mrs Webster maintained close friendships with her “girlfriends” who knew her as Patsy and with whom she met for morning tea on regular occasions up until shortly before her death.
In her latter years she also enjoyed weekend drives with husband John.
“We live in Oakey but each weekend we would go for a Sunday drive to other towns like Dalby, Pittsworth, Gatton or Crows Nest and find a pub and pull up for a counter lunch,” Mr Webster explained.
“About seven years ago, we drove out to Roma then turned north and headed for Cairns.
“Then we drove down the coast over three weeks to home.
“It was a wonderful trip for the two of us and Pat really enjoyed that.”
Mrs Webster had been in failing health for the past eight months during which she spent a considerable amount of time receiving treatment at Toowoomba Hospital.
Mrs Webster passed away at Toowoomba Hospital on October 8.
She had arrived into the world on the 10th of the 8th and had made her departure on the 8th of the 10th, Mr Webster noted.
Mrs Webster is survived by her husband of 33 years John Webster, her daughters Angela and Kylie and their families including grandchildren Matthew, Tye, James, Tamika, Isabella, Stephanie and Jessica; and great-grandchildren Serenity, Riley, Olivier and Levi.