Seniors, staff, volunteers and Krafty Kronys are wandering around in a fog. Her knitted slippers and fancy sweatshirts are hanging in the KK Korner, and the fridges she helped purchased hum in the kitchen, but Patt is not here. We wait for her to pop in ask what she can do for us this week. We wait for the latest gem to come from her knitting needles and we wait for her smile and hug. The twinkling blue eyes always had a joke behind them, along with the next plan for a fundraiser for the Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors.
Patt Robicheau was a founding Krafty Krony and she did much for TAPS and Creston. She passed away on May 19 and many will miss her for a long, long time. Patt was skilled at sewing, knitting, crocheting and other crafts but her strongest talent was encouraging others to do their best. The Kronys’ workshop, at Patt's place, was always busy with Kronys making things to sell for funds for TAPS. Patt would have set up all the sewing machines, turned on the kettle and opened the cookie tin just in time for the Kronys to get started. She had wonderful ideas about what the next project would be and she usually had sewn two or three different versions of what the rest of us could try. She always said, “That's great, good job, now start another one.” Returning from any trip she and her husband Jim made, she would have fabric, yarn, beads, patterns, fibre, ribbon and anything else that could be made into to a craft. Many of the ideas for new products came from these trips. Jim is a very patient man to wait outside so many markets and fabric stores.
The other talent that Patt shared was her ability to sell tickets. She and the Kronys hosted raffles as often as possible. At the Kronys’ craft fair in May I remember Patt stubbornly stating, “There are only seven more tickets to sell and I'm not going to make the draw until all the tickets are sold.” Of course, all the tickets sold.
Patt's encouraging way allowed many women to try things they might not have done; she empowered them. She was tolerant of different views and opinions even when she had strong opinions of her own. Her wish was to make everything the best possible for the seniors from TAPS. Her usual question was, “What do we need here?” She would then make plans for the wish to come true.
Another of Patt's sayings that many of us remember was, “You're not building a piano. Get ’er done!” She got things done. Patt was instrumental in getting TAPS the two buses we have now. The Kronys’ fund raising made it possible for the purchase of part of our big bus and all of our smaller one. Soon you will see the little bus driving around town with a new name, the Patti Wagon.
The Krafty Kronys will continue with their great work and TAPS will go on assisting seniors. We will find support and encouragement from each other because we have learned these lessons from Patt. We will not forget her.
Krafty Krony Dolly has a belief that makes it easier for me to deal with Patt not being with us anymore. Dolly noted that Patt passed on the day of the Oklahoma tornado. She believes that the Creator needed someone to get things organized so he called Patt. She will get the job done right.
Terry Nowak is an outreach worker for Creston’s Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors.