Patricia A. Carey, 85, native of River Forest, longtime resident of Forest Park, and most recently of Villa Scalabrini, died on July 27, 2020. Growing up in River Forest, she attended St. Luke School, Trinity High School, and Rosary College. In 1951, during her junior year of high school, she contracted the polio virus, which kept her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Not letting her disability define her, she became an advocate and worker for those who could not help themselves.
She was a 20-year board member of Caritas, a charity whose goal was to end poverty, promote justice and restore dignity. She also became very involved in the beginning of, and was a longtime volunteer for, Special Olympics. She served as a board member for Good Shepard Manor, a home and organization for adult males with mental disabilities.
Locally, Pat was a lifelong parishioner of St. Luke Church, where she was extremely active and a volunteer on many different levels, having served as the women’s guild president, serving four separate terms. Through her work with Caritas, Pat gained the attention of Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, a celebrated Catholic televangelist, and they became close friends until his death. Her legacy is her deep Catholic faith, her love of and devotion to family and friends, and her advocacy for the less fortunate.
Pat Carey was the sister of Richard “Dick” (Mary Jo), Dan (Joanne), Kathleen (Tony) Allitto, Mary Claire (the late Robert) Hachmeister, and the late Sharon (the late Jay) Ostrander; the fun-loving aunt of many nieces and nephews; the daughter of the late Dr. Clair and the late Dorothy Carey; the cousin of Donna Peirce; and a loyal friend to countless others.
Due to COVID-19 concerns, a memorial Mass will be planned at a later date to celebrate Pat’s life and faith. Private interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
Memorials made in her name to St. Luke Parish Church are appreciated.
Arrangements by Peter B. Kennedy & Co. Funeral Directors.
