Patricia Louise Matyskella

Patricia Louise Matyskella passed away peacefully on Nov. 8, 2018 at age 90. She resided at Mother Angeline McCrory Manor for 7 years, until Alzheimer's disease finally took her life. She was preceded in death by her loving and devoted husband John, in Feb. 2017, after 66 years of marriage.

Known most of her life as Pat, she grew up in the Old Oaks neighborhood of Columbus and attended Holy Rosary H.S. She then was accepted into the College of Pharmacy at OSU. A devout Catholic all her life, she also joined the Newman Center Choir at OSU, and there, met the love of her life, John, an engineering student from Athens county, OH. They were married at St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown Columbus. She also joined Kappa Epsilon, a sorority for women pharmacists, and was the chapter president her senior year. After getting her pharmacy license, she looked for work, and was flatly refused a job at one pharmacy just because she was a woman. She eventually found a job as a pharmacist, and did this work until she and John started a family. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to motherhood, but was able to stay connected with her profession for many years of monthly gatherings of Kappa Epsilon members. Then, when her youngest daughter Susan started Kindergarten, she returned to work, first at a pharmacy in Grandview then at Fountain Drug on Parsons Ave. in the South End, until she retired.

She was known to all as a wise, self-assured, compassionate and loving person, one who would not tolerate discrimination and racism, and lived these values in her life.

Always interested in lifelong learning, she and John went on Elder-hostel trips; (now called Road Scholar), and also traveled through the western U.S. in a camper/van. In 1980, at age 52, she traveled by herself to Italy. The first and only time abroad in her life, she went to visit her oldest daughter, Joan who was living in Florence. She was delighted to visit Rome, and the Vatican, as well as Florence, Venice and Impruneta. She doggedly climbed hundreds of stone stairs to reach the top of St. Peters dome.

She had many talents; sewing, baking, perennial gardening, playing piano and singing. She loved Gershwin, Belafonte, and musicals, as well as classical music. She and John attended many concerts over the years including the Columbus Symphony and Chorus at Carnegie Hall in NY, where their daughter Jane sang with the chorus. Pat and John also continued to sing in their church choir for many years.

Survived by son David (Evelyn), daughters Joan, Jane, Mary Grace (Scott) Hanson , and Susan (John) Baker, granddaughters Grace and Rose Hanson, and grandsons Yusef and Mataan Abucar and Alex Matyskella. Visitation and viewing at Newcomer Funeral Home, SW Chapel, 3393 Broadway on Monday evening, Nov. 19th from 6 to 8pm. and a funeral Mass on Tuesday, Nov. 20th at 10am at St. Cecilia Church, 430 Norton Rd. Cols. 43228, Father Leo Connolly presiding.

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