Patricia M. Klock passed away on March 1, 2023, fifteen days short of her 96th birthday. She was named Patricia by the nuns who delivered her in Ogdensburg N.Y., as she was born shortly before midnight on the eve of St, Patrick’s Day. Her mother Ruth Chateau was staying there since her husband, William Chateau, had recently died. Patricia remained in the convent orphanage with her older brother, Frank Chateau. Her mother left them to go live with relatives in Gouverneur to find work. Later with a new husband, John Backus, they were able to take the children out of the orphanage. The first to be taken out was Patricia. About a year later Frank was reunited with the family. All of the fore-mentioned persons predeceased her.
In Gouverneur, Patricia was a member of the class of l946, although she did not graduate. While roller skating at the Sylvia Lake roller skating rink, adjacent to the Sylvia Lake Hotel, she met John F. Klock, who became her husband They were married for 68 years before his death. Sylvia Lake became a big part of their lives. Before they could afford to buy a camp, they rented. However from 1955 on they bought and lived in several camps on the Lake.
Her survivors include her son, John H. Klock and his wife Connie, their son Thomas, his wife Becky and their two children, Sofia and Logan; and their daughter Jacqueline, her husband, Jeff Hogan, and their two children John Robert and Jace. They all summer at Sylvia Lake along with other members of the family, descendants of her brother Frank Chateau. Her nieces, Daria Cummings and Kay Chateau, spent every summer at the Lake before their untimely deaths. Her grand nieces and nephew: Dianne and her husband Jim Girard together with their children, Josh and Matt, and their families; Missy and Ryan Steele; and David Chateau. All spent many days at the Klock’s Sylvia Lake Camp with Aunt Pat or as her great grandchildren called her “GiGi”.
Patricia had many hobbies: knitting, baking, drawing, ceramics and stained glass. She baked cakes for sale on demand. She made an extraordinary five-layer cake for John and Connie’s wedding and transported it to Olean, New York for the wedding. She loved ceramics. She started a pottery/ceramics business where she taught ceramics and sold her wares. She also had a passion for stained glass. Her friend Maggie Hill was an excellent stained glass artisan and mentored Patricia in the art of stained glass. This allowed Patricia to use her artistic skills to compose many pieces. In her later years with her stained glass expertise she repaired many of the stained glass windows and other stained glass items in need of repair at St. James Church.
She was a great athlete with a tremendous desire to win. She sponsored a bowling
team for many years under the name “Pat’s Ceramics”. She had many games over 200. She also was a member of the Six Women’s Golf Team who represented the Gouverneur Country Club in matches for several years. In these sports, she had accumulated over 70 trophies that she donated to various youth groups.
When her husband retired, they took a chance on Florida but it was not to their liking and they moved back to Gouverneur across from her grand-niece, Dianne. Once re-acclimated. she reignited her stained glass hobby which resulted in some amazing pieces, Patricia was a life-long communicant at St. James Church. She was once the President of the Altar and Rosary Society.
She moved in with Connie and John and spent her last five years in Scotch Plains, N.J. she partook of many activities in the community and made many friends. She got to see her grandson, Tom, Becky and her great grandchildren frequently as they lived next door. She was able to see her granddaughter Jackie and her husband, Jeff ,and their sons who live in Norfolk, Virginia more easily.
Unfortunately, during the winter of 2022 she fell, was hospitalized and eventually moved to a nursing home for her last year of life. She received good care there and for seven months she roomed with a generous and caring roommate, Maria. She was beloved and will be missed.
In the summer, there will be a memorial service at St. James Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to Sylvia Lake Association for its efforts to remove invasive milfoil.