Remembering Patricia Wirth Sweeney, by Brian Abate

Patricia Wirth Sweeney, affectionately called “Patsy” and “Pat” passed away in Red Hook at the age of 93 on Oct. 15. She was born on June 27, 1931.

“She always said she was born in Red Hook and that she was going to die in Red Hook,” said her son, Thomas Wirth. “She loved Red Hook and she took a lot of pride in living here. She loved Visitation Church. She was baptized there, made communion there, made confirmation there, and got married there twice.

Pat was a lifetime member of the Ladies Auxiliary at the VFW  and spent several terms as Madam President and then became Treasurer. She remained in the role of treasurer until she was 90.

“Pat cared so much about everyone and we all love her,” said Casey Magee of the VFW.

In addition to her time spent at the VFW, Pat spent several years working for the beverage company that used to be in Red Hook, White Rock.

“We became friends when I joined the Rosary Society at Visitation and then we both worked at White Rock Soda,” said Red Hook native Emelia Kruger. “Pat was a great person, always loyal and kind. She was a great friend to me and I really valued her friendship. Everyone loved Pat. She would always check and ask how everyone else was doing.

“We worked there for 24 years and became really close. We were in Red Hook for 12 years and then White Rock moved to Queens and Pat and two other women would carpool with me there. With Pat, you always had a lot of fun. We were always laughing together. She wasn’t afraid of anyone though, including our boss.”

Though she was very loving, Pat was also a “tough cookie”  to Thomas, and used to say “Don’t make me get my Irish up” when he was younger.

Coffey Street pier
“When my brother and I were younger, we used to swim down on Coffey St. Pier and we even had a makeshift diving board,” Thomas said. “When a ferry passed it would make big waves so we would jump in then. One time my mom got wind of it. She actually used to do the same thing when she was younger. When she found out we were doing it, she came down the pier, and ‘under no circumstances’ were we allowed to do that again, but of course we did.

“She was tiny and my brother and I were both a lot bigger but she had no problem coming up against us. Everyone in the neighborhood would say ‘You don’t want to come up against her.’ When the neighborhood became drug-infested, she wasn’t going to put up with it, and she watched my brother and me like a hawk.”

Pat had an open-door policy when Thomas was growing up so cousins, other family members, and neighbors frequently stopped by to visit.

Annette Amendola, another one of Pat’s close friends, recalled that “She would just point at you instead of saying ‘don’t do that’ and you just knew that was it. She put us in our place, and thank God for that, she made us better people.”

Pat was also known for her sense of humor and for knowing how to make her friends and family laugh.

“The thing I remember when I saw her was she said she had a little trouble with saying curse words and she hoped God would forgive her,” said Father Johannes Siegert of Visitation Church. “She was in her 90s then. It was a little funny.”

“She loved to shop and I think that’s where I get my shopping addiction from,” Thomas said. “She was always taking the bus to downtown Brooklyn or Park Slope. I think it relaxed her. She liked to go out and have a good time but she was not a drinker. I never saw her drink.”

As a child, Pat was actually very sick with rheumatic fever and acute asthma but it never stopped her and it is a testament to her that she lived to 93 despite those health issues. Additionally, both Amendola and Kruger praised Thomas’ husband Ulisses Ramirez, and especially Thomas himself for taking excellent care of his mother as she got older.

“He is such a great son and Ulisses too,” Kruger said. “She couldn’t have had a better life when she was so sick than to have the two of them taking care of her.”

“We had a lot of hardships in my family when I was younger, and Pat and Thomas, and Little Thomas were always with us,” Amendola said. “They never left our side. That’s the kind of people they are.”

Pat was remembered not only as a loving mother of her own children, but a mother figure for many in the community.

“She loved her family, loved her church, loved her friends, loved her neighbors, and loved her community,” Thomas said.