Emigh, Patricia
1936 - 2021
Patricia Emigh was born in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest daughter of Marie (Taubitz) Falvey and Edward Falvey. By all accounts, she was a likeable, sweetfaced girl with a curious nature and a bit of an ornery streak. Raised in a traditional Irish Catholic household, she found many ways to test the limited patience of the Catholic nuns. At the tender age of 14, Pat was caught smoking Lucky Strikes in the St. Theresa’s high school bathroom. She is survived by her brother, Edward Falvey; daughters, Karen (Joseph) Saldana, Colleen (Jon) Golden, Beth (Al) Benedict, and Margie (Ty) Welsheimer; as well as grandchildren, Paul and Danielle Saldana, Crow Golden, Simon Benedict, and Kasey and Drew Welsheimer; great grandchildren, Polly-anne Dillinger and Silas Saldana; and many loving siblings-in-law, nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Richard (Dick) Emigh, who passed away in 2018. The two met when she vacationed at a beach cottage on Lake Huron with her friends. The local boys were playing beach volleyball, and the Detroit girls couldn’t help but notice that the net kept moving closer and closer to them. One of Pat’s great joys was family - and she cherished being a mother to four daughters. She also loved arts and crafts, and was a talented artist in her own right. Her daughters and grandchildren share fond memories of art projects, walks at Creekside in Gahanna, and nature hikes to collect fall leaves and pinecones, which Pat would arrange in wreaths or replicate in watercolor paintings. She was a free spirit who was always up for an adventure. She often dragged her children and grandchildren to culturally enriching events like plays, musicals, apple and berry picking, historic sites, and museums. They eventually came to appreciate these activities to the point that they now drag their own children to these events, thus continuing the tradition. Another of Pat’s great joys was shopping. She was always smartly dressed and
was often seen in cute flowered sandals, vibrant colors, and perfectly matched accessories - which she never paid full price for! Her daughters were instructed to not remark upon any
new outfits in the presence of their father. If they did compliment a new necklace, or a cute sweater, she would say: “This? I’ve had it for years. Besides, it was on sale.” Though she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in her later years, it never completely robbed her of her kindness or her stubborn streak. In the throes of the disease, she still managed to impress upon her children the importance of appropriate outerwear, lest they catch a cold. It made no difference whether it was 80 degrees outside. When she was initially admitted to a memory care facility at the age of 82, she told her daughters: “Look, I’m not staying here with all of these old people.” In fact, she tried to break out of the facility by enlisting her family’s help. She went to a
third floor window, studying the interior courtyard. She nudged her daughter conspiratorially and whispered, “If I can just get down there, I think we can get out.” Her family came to know just how much being a mother meant to Pat. At her memory care facility, she was constantly holding the various baby girl dolls, giving them the names of her daughters. The staff would sometimes give reports based on what Pat shared with them. Margie was a good baby, but she never wanted to go down for a nap because she didn’t want to miss anything. Pat led by example, and approached life with an open and curious mindset and a quiet strength. She returned to college as an adult and graduated from the Ohio State University at the age of 51, with a degree in art education. She and Dick loved to spend time with family and friends, playing euchre and traveling (and arguing about playing euchre). She cared deeply for others, had a strong love of children and dogs, and valued the golden rule. She opened her home to her own parents when they fell ill, without hesi
tation. She took an office job at a local college so her oldest daughter could get a discount on tuition, and quit soon after her daughter graduated. Yet she also lived on her own terms and did things in her own way. She ate ice cream for dinner (and sometimes for lunch and breakfast, even in front of the grandchildren). She was quite possibly the worst driver ever. She made up her own words to prayers and church songs. She was not accustomed to the convenience of modern diapers, and when babysitting, would occasionally secure her grandchildren’s diapers with packing tape. Our mother was a true original and a blessing to all who knew her. She instilled in her daughters the importance of family, the duty to give to others, the value of improvisation and the joy of
finding a good bargain and eating dessert first. A memorial service to honor Pat will be held at SCHOEDINGER NORTHEAST FUNERAL HOME on Friday, October 22, at 3pm with videocast available. Those who wish to share memories of our mother are welcome to join us for a reception at Margie’s house following the service. Donations in honor of Pat may be made to the Gahanna Area Arts Council (https://gahannaarts. org/) or to the Central Ohio Alzheimer’s Association (https://www.alz.org/centralohio).