Love for Patty Crites

On Sunday July 7, 2019 our world fell apart due to the sudden and unexpected passing of one of the strongest, seemingly invincible women many have ever known. Her family is left reeling in inconsolable grief.

Patty had a larger than life personality. She could always crack a joke that would create a belly-laugh. She found peace working in her impeccable flower gardens. The love she had for her family and friends was fierce. Helping others overcome obstacles in their lives was something she was passionate about. Many sought out her advice and wisdom during challenging times as Patty was no stranger to adversity in her own life. She conquered every obstacle life threw her way; such as the death of her infant son when she was 20 years old, the death of her 26 year old brother due to a car/train accident when she was only 27, the total loss of her home due to fire in 2009, surviving a head on crash due to a drunk driver 2 years ago and the random, senseless beating of her husband Greg when two juvenile delinquents came on to their property while Greg was out walking their dog. Yes, a 16 and 18 year old severely beat her 60 year old husband with seizure disorder and continuously kicked him in the head while he was lying on the ground nearly unconscious. She and Greg had uncanny resilience and could always find a flicker of light in the darkest of times. Patty’s last obstacle was in the form of a simple cyst that grew at an alarming rate and she developed septic shock. Despite the diligent support of her highly skilled medical team and her signature “fight” to live, she succumbed to her brief illness.

Patty was the rock her family leaned on. Her husband of 35 years, a disabled union carpenter with uncontrolled seizure disorder, has lost the love of his life and his caretaker. Her daughter has not only lost her mother, but her best friend and confidante. Her son-in-law has lost his “other mother” and biggest fan. Many, many others have lost a dear, loyal, irreplaceable friend. Her absence has left a void that will never be filled.

The devastation of her sudden departure from this world has not only been emotional, but financial as well. Patty and Greg survived on a fixed income. In 2013 they made the difficult choice of resorting to a reverse mortgage in the form of a lump sum so they could pay off their traditional mortgage and not have to choose between making the house payment or buying groceries, paying for Greg’s prescriptions for epilepsy and medical insurance. Unfortunately, there was no life insurance. Patty was the only borrower on the reverse mortgage as Greg was too young to qualify. When Patty passed, the mortgage became due and payable in 30 days. Her pension income stopped and her social security stopped. If the reverse mortgage is not paid they will begin foreclosure proceedings. Greg is in danger of being evicted from his home of 25 years that he and Patty shared. 

We are humbly asking for donations to ensure Greg does not have to leave his home.Patty’s daughter and son-in-law are desperately trying to put an addition on their house so they can ensure Greg has a safe and loving home with his family, under one roof, however that will take time that we just don’t have. All donations will be used to pay back the reverse mortgage and build the addition. Donations will also help to offset the costs of the funeral. 

Other items needed are:

Steel sheets to roof the barn and increase the property value of Greg’s residence
Lumber for the addition
Drywall for the addition
People willing to assist in the labor we will need in the coming months
Prayers that God will carry us through this horrible time and keep us together in one home. 


We also encourage everyone to educate themselves on the dangers of sepsis and septic shock. What we thought was a simple infection that could be cured with oral antibiotics turned into the biggest nightmare of our lives. Patty was diagnosed with septic shock on June 26th and after 11 days in ICU and a helicopter flight to the University of Chicago, on July 7th, she passed away. We had no idea how deadly sepsis could be!! The pain of her loss has been crippling in and of itself.