Stratton Park Message Board

We were sitting at a round table in the back, 7 or 8 guys and Pat was there.
As we usually did, we were ripping the hell out of one another, laughing and jerking around. Pat was having a great time. Then we started in on him. We killed him, his long hair,tough guy appearance, cloths, everything. Nothing was sacred. I remember him laughing so hard his eyes were tearing. You could sense his joy of being just one of the guys. Inthe old neighborhood the only thing that really mattered was who you were as a person,nothing else.
As time went on, Pat had a number of operations, taking layers of skin from other parts of his body to reconstruct his face. I remember going to Rockaway Beach with him, hitting the bars, drinking beer and having fun.
Inthe summer of 59, when Pat was 21, he bought a new car and drove to Florida with Owen Freuling. Somewhere in Georgia, his car was hit by a train at a railroad crossing. Both were killed instantly.
What more is there to say. I have thought about him many times over the years. God bless Pat Clancy.

Steve, that was beautifully written. Bless you and your buddies for making him realize that beauty is only skin deep.

Steve,
That was a great story.
I remember Pat very well. Although to me he was one of the "older guys" (3 or 4 years difference) I remenber him as always being nice to the young guys like me. When I met him in the school yard or on Archer street he seemed to usually have an interesting story to tell.
When we heard he and Owen were killed in the car crash we were shocked.
I will always remember him as an interesting and nice person.
Thank you for your memory.
Les

Steve your story will be forever etched in my mind.Pat sounded like a gentle soul and you are forever a faithful friend.Thanks for sharing and as our circle of friends continues to grow your memory will never die.A Stratton Park friend,Linda

Steve ...thanks...a really great neighborhood story...

JohnT