Pat was my only sister. There was a large difference in our ages. When Pat was growing up she was closer in age to my daughters, so she grew up more as a sister to them than as an aunt. As Pat grew older, she became my friend as well as my sister.Pat was a loving, kind, generous and loyal person. When Pat made a friend, she kept that friend for life.
She was especially generous with the time she spent with her elderly aunt and her young nieces and nephews. When Pat was in their company she always found time to listen to them or play games with the young ones, especially her goddaughter, Morgan. Whenever the family is together, first come the tears of sorrow and loss, but then the smiles and laughter take over as we remember something funny Pat has said or done.
Wherever we are, Pat’s spirit is there with us. She will always be missed and in the hearts of her family and friends forever.
Her Loving Brother,
James McAneney & Family
Patricia McAneney: Like a FirefighterAs a little girl, Patricia McAneney was rarely without her toy fireman"s hat. She grew up honest and conscientious, embodying the firefighter ideal. Ms. McAneney never joined the Fire Department, but her strong principles brought loyalty from friends and admiration from co-workers. She was the fire marshal of her floor of 1 World Trade Center, where she worked for the insurance company Guy Carpenter.
"If one of us committed a crime, Pat would be the last person we could go to because she would turn you in," said Margaret Cruz, who shared a home with Ms. McAneney for nearly 20 years. Ms. McAneney"s droll sense of humor shined through when Ms. Cruz teased her about this. "She said she might give me a few hours" head start," Ms. Cruz said.
Phyllis Libretti, a friend since childhood, cherishes a plaque given to her by Ms. McAneney. It says:
The reason why we"re such good friends/ is very plain to see
I understand the things you do/you have respect for me
No complicated folks are we/no striving to be clever
Yes, friends may come and friends may go/but we"ll be friends forever
Copyright (c) 2001 by The New York Times Co. Reprinted by permission.
