Book signing set for today
Patricia Stanyer shares her life’s story in ‘A Time to Remember’
A P.E.I. native is launching a new book.
Patricia Stanyer, who divides her time between Richmond, B.C., and Darnley, P.E.I., is holding a book signing for her memoir, “A Time to Remember”, today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Book Mark in Charlottetown.
The book chronicles her life as the second eldest of 10 children of the late Gertrude (Cullen) and “Big Jim” Pendergast, growing up in Kensington. She had an “almost idyllic childhood” until 1936 when she and her siblings became ill with red measles, followed by German measles and whooping cough.
“My only sister developed pneumonia… That was a crushing blow for me and, of course, my parents were devastated,” says Stanyer, who attended P.E.I. schools.
Then, after graduating from St. Dunstan’s University, the book describes her adventures moving to Alberta, first to work at Jasper Park Lodge and then on to British Columbia where she taught in Burns Lake and Terrace for four years. In Terrace she met her husband Raymond Stanyer. They married and had five children: Kathleen, Warren, Philip, Laura and Owen.
Along the way, Stanyer developed an interest in publishing.
In 1988, she published “Try
the Goose Grease”, a story about nursing on P.E.I., by Isabel Tuplin, in conjunction with Ann Nunes.
Under the company name of “Tabor Publishing” she also published her brother Reg Pendergast’s books, “Close to the Heart” and “Close to The Folks”. In addition, she collaborated with him in the book about their father, “Trailblazer, The Legendary ‘Big Jim’ Pendergast”.
Other titles include, “Red Rocks and Pink Sand” and “Let’s Speak Canadian English, Eh?”.