In Loving Memory of Helen Thatcher 1938-2016

Helen Thatcher

Helen Pat ThatcherHome Town: Ocean Isle Beach
Date of Death: 05/24/2016
Birth Place: Brooklyn NY
Birth Date: 08/18/1938
Service Date: 05/27/2016 at 10:00 AM
Service Place: Saint Brendans the Navigator Catholic Church
Interment: St. Brendans Columbarium

In the face of such great loss, what can be certain is that Pat, Pepper, Nan, Mom, or any nickname she acquired that carved her relationship to the sayer of such name, was an immensely strong woman with a profound faith.

It is with great sorrow to announce that Helen Thatcher, 77, passed away on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. Helen, known to most as Pat, was born on August 18, 1938 to Charles and Helen Connell Mack. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY..

After attending St. Brendans HS in Brooklyn, Pat began working for Western Electric in New York City. Pat met Samuel Thatcher, who would soon become her beloved, at a picnic in Breezy Point, when she was 19. They instantly realized they were soulmates and married soon after they met. It was in this partnership that they would don the nicknames, Salt and Pepper, from one of their sons; names such as these can only highlight the love and support Sam and Pat gave one another throughout their lives together. Soon after their marriage, Sam and Pat, knowing their love could reach wide and far depths, added five children to their family: Marybeth, Kathleen, Bryan, Michael and Robert.

The choice to move the family from Brooklyn to Highland Mills, NY, was tough for Pat, but one she never regretted. She quickly settled in and began work for the NY State DMV. She worked hard and became the assistant director of several DMV offices in the state. Pat was very focused on and dedicated to raising her children and becoming an active part of her community. She put much of that fierce passion for community into her work with Saint Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, as she was, herself, a devout Catholic.

As Pat’s children grew and graduated from college, her and Sam found a passion in the sport of golf. Their combined love of the sport eventually brought them into a new phase of their life; Sam and Pat moved to Ocean Isle Beach, NC in 2003, spending quality time together on the golf course and making many new friends.

She is survived by her husband, Samuel Thatcher, and her children, Marybeth Runkowski, and husband, Dennis; Kathleen Thatcher, and fiancé, Chris Sharpe; Bryan Thatcher; and Robert Thatcher, and wife, Lenore; five grandchildren will always remember her warm, boundless laugh and prominent mentorship in their formative years: Samantha and fiancé, Patrick Choules; Dennis; Kassandra; Brendan; and Emily. She will always be loved by her entire family, along with her many, dear friends.

In the words from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “…We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Nan, though now you are eternally unseen, you are, for me and for the rest of your children, grandchildren, and friends, a light, a source of glory, in our collective memory. May you live in peace and happiness in heaven.

The family request in lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 3 International Drive, Suite 200, Rye Brook, NY 10573 or Make-A-Wish at Hudson Valley, 832 South Broadway, The Wish House, Tarrytown, NY 10591.

Private online condolences may be sent to the family at www.brunswickfuneralservice.com.
Brunswick Funeral Service, Shallotte.

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