Patricia Kirchner

Patricia Ann Menner Kirchner Beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and dear friend. She tried. Never an adherent to such social conventions as “punctuality,” she at long last lives up to her nickname since childhood, “The Late Pat Kirchner.” She was 94. Pat was married to the always-on-time George H. “Bud” Kirchner for over 60 years until his passing in 2013. She was the soul of patience and empathy; once described as “June Cleaver without the pearls.” And she had the gift of gab long before kissing the Blarney Stone. Pat thought that she lacked talent. This is patently false. She lacked a sense of direction. And while she frequently took “the scenic route,” and never quite mastered arts and crafts, she was a wonderful poet, and she inherited from her mother a love of music, a knack for finding (Irish) humor in the world, and the gift of speaking from her heart. Through that gift, she touched the hearts of anyone who ever heard her read from the scriptures at St. Mary’s or St. Gerald’s. However, her true talent lay in making – and keeping – friends for life. Because Pat knew how to make people feel good about themselves. She was truly interested in other people – not in what they did, but in who they were. Her closest circle, the Best Friends Ever group, brought her immense joy and cheer. Anyone who ever met Pat walked away with a smile, and she was the inspiration behind the phrase “The Long Goodbye.” Pat was the definitive grandmother to her grandkids. She spent time with them, read with them, played Crazy 8s with them, and gave them unending love. Like most grandparents, she taught the grandkids life skills that she somehow neglected to teach her own children. Anyway… don’t play cards for money against any of the grandchildren. A lifelong fan of her Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings – particularly of “Red” Kelly – she’s no doubt already appealing to the angels to get both teams back to the playoffs and bring another long-overdue championship to the City. Alongside Bud, her parents, John and Loretto; sisters Margaret (Payne) and Carolyn (Plein); and brother (Rev.) John Menner, CSB, greeted Pat at the Pearly Gates, wondering what took her so long. The matriarch of the family, she leaves behind her five children: Colleen McKeon (Michael), Kevin (Mary Sing), Kathryn Turner (Joseph), Brian, and Patrick (Lara); seven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; sister Kathryn Marshall (Tom); and many nieces and nephews who adored their “Aunt Pat.” She tried. She succeeded. And we’re all the better for it. Visitation from 3:00 - 7:00 pm on Sunday May 14, 2023, at O’Brien-Sullivan Funeral Home 41555 Grand River Novi . Service and remembrances at 6:30. A Mass celebrating Pat’s life at St. Gerald’s Catholic Church 21300 Farmington Road Farmington on Monday May 15 at 11:00, with visitation at 10:30.* In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fr. John Menner, CSB, Academic Scholarship Fund at Catholic Central High School, or The American Diabetes Association . *Services may begin around 10-15 minutes after their scheduled time.

Patricia Kirchner

September 6, 1928 - May 7, 2023