Support Jen in Honoring Donald Patenaude after Dementia

Hi there! In case you don’t know me, my name is Carly Patenaude. My family and I are grieving from the devastating loss of our grandfather, Donald Patenaude. He passed on July 5th 2024 after a long battle with Dementia. My mother-in-law Jennifer, who is his only daughter, is not only heartbroken but had to pay for final resting expenses out of pocket.

Jen is the most independent, selfless person and wouldn’t ask anyone for a dime. I took it upon myself to create this for her, as she would be the first person to help someone else, but never for herself. And after dedicating herself to her father’s care for almost the last decade, she is the least deserving of financial hardship. The purpose of this is to raise enough to cover the expense to lay him to rest.

With today’s economy, I don’t think there are many people who have an extra $10,000 to spend and not be struggling to meet ends meet. If you can relate, understand, or just have it in your heart- please help me support her so that she's not behind. A little goes a long way and anything is greatly appreciated!

A little about him:

Donald (also known as “Pat” for Patenaude), loved to hunt, fish and most things outdoors. He was kind and humorous, to know him was to love him. He helped his daughter Jennifer raise his two grandsons Jaedon (my husband), and Cross. Since they were little boys, he taught them the meaning of hard work and to be decent men. I am eternally grateful to Poppy, for shaping Jaedon into the amazing husband and father he is today.

What Happened:

Pat suffered from a terrible head injury about 20 years ago. Since then, his mind and memory would start to deteriorate. If you are not familiar with the heart wrenching disease Dementia, consider yourself lucky.

About 7 years ago, our family noticed that his health was further declining. He could not take care of himself efficiently, and could no longer live on his own. Jen took him into her home and would spend the next 7 years taking care of her father alongside her mother, Candase. Pat and Candase were married and together for most of their lives, she was familiar and comforting to him.

Unless you’ve been through it, you couldn’t imagine the horrors of Dementia and seeing your loved one suffer slowly, as well as the mental health of your loved ones taking care of that person. 24 hours 7 days a week of non-stop attending to your sick family member. And as they become worse, the anger and violent behavior that comes from them. There are no breaks. Poppy would have never wanted to live that way. It is truly heartbreaking and takes a toll on everyone involved physically and mentally. Any nurse or CNA that does this for a living has my uppermost respect.

Once again, thank you for your consideration. It means so much!!

Obituary