Patricia Fernandez, 59, of Fredericksburg, Virginia died at 3am on May 19th, 2016 after her fight with cancer.
Pat was born January 20, 1957 in Superior, AZ and had been a resident of Virginia for the past 25 years. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She was the scrabble champion of the family and had the best holiday decorations in all of Raintree Village. If you ever attended one of her annual Halloween parties you know what we are talking about. We’d like to apologize to any children who may have been permanently scarred from participating in any of her fall festivities but us adults sure had fun.
She is survived by her father, Umberto Haro; brothers Paul and Mark Haro; sisters Joanna Villalobos and Angie Haro; son Joseph Sanchez and daughters Annette Sanchez Moorman and Patricia Fernandez; grandsons Logan and Valentino Sanchez-Moorman, Alinne and Axel Argote-Sanchez; along with various aunts, nieces and nephews.
She is preceded in death by her husband James Dale Fernandez, Father-in-law Ruben Fernandez, mother Theresa Haro, grandson Elías Argote-Sanchez and let’s not forget her 5 Shih-Tzu’s Ester Lilly, Sammy, Mabeline, Spartacus and Baby.
Services will be held at Salem Fields Community Church, Fredericksburg, VA on Wednesday, June 29th, at 12:30pm. There is also a graveside service at Quantico National Cemetery at 10am on June 29th for those who wish to attend.
Patricia’s children would like to express their gratitude to friends and family who made the extra effort to support and care for her during the final months of her life. Specifically, we would like to thank her brother Paul, sister Joanne, Aunt Shirley, Aunt Janet, best friend Zona , Sharon, Carla, Ashley and Ursula. We would also like to thank the nurses Jocelyn, Natasha and Catherine from Intrepid Hospice.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that contributions in memory of Pat may be made to Annette Sanchez-Moorman, 3712 Kings Point Arch, Virginia Beach, 23452.
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My deepest condolences to the Ohana of Pat. Pat was a second mom for me and so many! Her advise and stories are priceless memories in my life. She listened to me and gave me her shoulder more than a few times. The love she showed and gave was great. There is peace knowing she is with our lord. Until we meet again. Rest in love Mama Pat!
I am so sorry to see that Pat’s spirit and soul is now with God. She was very fortunate to be with her family (kids) and had their full support and love. The family and friends from AZ will always be there and give our most deepest condolences in this difficult time.
I’m so sorry this day has come. Your mom loved her kids and family with a pure love. All she did and thought of was you. She loved Jesus and walked with him daily. She felt his presence with her many times. She often talked about how God spoke to her after James went to heaven and told her she “would never be alone,” and she was not alone. Your mom loved life and loved being able to ‘go fast.’ She laughed when we talked about her fast driving. Your mom loved being creative and had a real talent for handmade items and for thriftiness. (We shared this in common, but she was better at it than I was with the thrift part.)You can be sure she’s loving every minute of heaven and watching down over you from that great portal. You can also be sure to know she’s reminding God of your destiny and her desire is for you to fulfill every minute of it to the fullest. I pray that the strength of heaven will flow through each one of you and that in the days to come you will find joy and happiness when your heart wants to cry. Your mom loved you deeply and still does. She’s quite alive in the presence of her Heavenly Father and is rejoicing over HIS love for you.
My deepest condolences in the loss of your mother. I lived next door to the Haro’s on Western Avenue and always thought of Patsy as an older sister. I am thankful for all the memories. I pray the Lord brings you peace and comfort always.
Umberto and family…my sympathies to all of you. Know that I feel your loss and you are always in my prayers.
Love you all, Kathy
Cousin Patsy was a HOOT!
Because she was much older than I was, I did not get to know her growing up. It wasn’t until I moved here, to Virginia, that I actually got to know my wild, cousin. By “wild” I mean that she never took any criticism, advice or comments from anybody that wasn’t in her favor. She spoke her mind. Told things as they were and never sugar-coated, anything! I loved that about her! She loved life! She loved her children, sooo much! Patsy always bragged about their accomplishments. She had nothing but good to say about their spouses who meant just as much to her. The grandchildren….well…..that’s a given! There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for those little munchkins! Somewhere in our conversations, her family remained the utmost of her topics.
We, both shared a love for Halloween! Having parties, going overboard on decorating our homes. Crafting was something else we taught one another. But when I think back to my deepest moments with her, they were always our private discussions. I could pick up the phone and call her the next day, in six months, the next year and we could always pick up wherever we left off. We always “got” one another. I felt like we were ‘soulmates’ and for the very short time I became re-acquainted with her, I felt good about us. You see, she told me stories about the family that I never knew about. I got to hear both good and….maybe…not so good stories of a time when I was too young or absent from her generation. I liked that because, as an only child growing up in Mesa and away from my relatives, I only knew whatever came to my house. Otherwise, I was oblivious to things that went on in the bigger picture. I began picturing her as a big, sister.
My husband, Robert had the opportunity to come to know her, as well. That meant a lot to me. He always thought she was hilarious with her stories about people and the way she viewed life. 4th of July, 2015 was the first holiday I ever got to spend with both Patsy and her sister, my other cousin, Joann. I will always treasure that holiday with them because it was our first, together.
Patsy made my transition to Virginia so much more meaningful! She shaped the way I viewed Virginia and its people and places. Everything she told me to expect, was right on!! She said I’d be moving to a location (Stafford) where it was nothing but hills. Dead, on! She said that women in Virginia were very conservative and more lady-like than the women out on the west coast. Dead, on…again. She also told me places to visit, places to beware of and things that either were worth my time or not. It was almost scary how well she knew her material.
I will miss her something, awful! I already do. I’m just glad that the last time I spoke to her, I told her I love her and not to be afraid. Where there is darkness, there is light. Where there is fear, there is God. I know as scared as she was, it was the first time, I actually heard her…..listen.
Rest in Peace, my cousin…my friend…my sister!
My beautiful and brave sister Patsy is finally at rest after battling cancer for two years and we know that she is in a better place until we meet again. Our thoughts and prayers are with her entire family and friends to help all of us get through this difficult time. We love and miss her so much but we have some great memories together that we will always cherish. Patsy was a fighter and stood up for herself and me growing up in our small town of Superior, AZ. She stood up to a big senior in High School that was bullying me in gym class when I was a small freshmen. We both ended up in fights that year and ended up in the school newspaper in an article about students fighting and later becoming friends again. She was a stubborn Haro like me and helped me to become a better fighter over time. So I guess it’s no surprise that our families both ended up serving in the military together. Her second husband James was a brave Marine that loved flying around in CH-53 helicopters and he reenlisted right before they got married. James helped Patsy raise Joseph and Annette plus they later had Tricia when they were still stationed at El Toro Marine Base in Southern California. My family lived in Long Beach, California where I was stationed in the Navy. I appreciated the help and assistance my sister gave our family during that time especially to my wife Cindy when I was deployed overseas. We kept in touch during our time in the military and after I was medically discharged in 1991. James later became ill from Gulf War Syndrome and was medically discharged in 1996. She became James’ Caregiver and our families supported each other through all of our health issues and any other battles going on in our lives. We had each others backs when others didn’t. I could not ask for a better sister than that. We could always talk about anything that was bothering us and try to give each other advice on dealing with the situation. She loved her kids and grandchildren so much and was very proud of them. She also had a great sense of humor which we all need to get through this life. I have plenty of stories that I have shared with her family and friends and I will continue doing so in her memory. I am so glad I was able to spend a few weeks with her towards the end of her life. I cherished the pictures and videos we watched together, the Scrabble games she won and the funny stories we shared near the end as I helped and prayed with her everyday in her daughter Nettie’s home. Before I left she told me that I can still talk to her anytime because she will always be listening. I told her to give me a sign every once in a while so that I know that she is OK and she already has and I look forward to seeing more. Rest in Peace Patsy until we all see each other in Heaven and thanks for keeping a watch on all of your family.
Love Always,
Your Favorite Brother Paul