TARRANT, Patrick James
Age 89, originally of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 9, 2022, after a long and dignified struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 35 years, Barbara (Smith), and was predeceased by his first wife Mary Doreen (Keane). Patrick came from a large family, and is predeceased by his sisters Ella
(Burt), Fluorina (Polych), and his brothers Alexander, and Cyril (aged 4). He is missed by his siblings Carmel (Turpin), Madeline (Banfield), Margaret (Campbell), Gus, Cyril, and many loving nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind his five children
and their spouses: Anna-marie (John Raftery), Patrick (late Kathryn Barger), Dennis (Caroline
Burns), John (Stephen Quinn), and Joanne (Donald Neubert) and their children Julia Doreen, Tara Anne, James Keanen, Joseph Dean, Lindy Alexander, and Lee Gerhardt, all of whom he loved tremendously. Also remembering him are his stepsons Ryan Neal Shorten (Theresa Ennis) and Richard Jason Shorten and their children Sarah Mary Anne, Michelle Madelena, and Richard Quinn.
When Patrick left the island of Newfoundland as a young man, he had no idea he would influence so many people along the way. Large in stature and large in life, Patrick was someone who positively
affected the lives of so many people; directly or indirectly. Many people can credit where they are today to his optimism, unflinching candour, and faith in them. To his last days, he always remembered where he was from. As so many of his generation did in Canada, he made his way to a new mining town (Schefferville, Que.) to find work in a
place where common sense, decency, and grit were calling cards of success. By his mid-twenties, and with no formal education, he became the head of
personnel for the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), a role in which he travelled, as he recruited people to work in the mines. He later rose in the personal insurance business (Sunlife) and operated diverse businesses in Labrador City, where he helped build the community in its earliest days
through his work as Chairman of the School Board and as an active member of the Lion’s Club during the 1960s. Many will also remember him for establishing and developing Mary Brown’s Fried
Chicken (1969), a company that remains and clearly traces its origins to Newfoundland. Patrick was always proud to be from “The Rock,” but he probably never knew just how much he was our rock. He will be deeply missed, but we pray he finally rests in peace. We are thankful for the wonderful care Pat received at Extendicare Mississauga, especially during very harrowing times. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society of Peel.
Friends may call at Turner & Porter “Peel” Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street, Mississauga for visitation on Thursday, May 13, 2022 from 3-8 p.m. Funeral Mass to be held at Sts. Peter & Paul Church, 4070 Central Pkwy, Mississauga on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 9:30 a.m. Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery, Woodbridge. Online condolences may be made at www.turnerporter.ca