Patricia "Pat" Ann Shaw Gardner

June 19, 1945 - July 18, 2020

FLORIST NOTE: PLEASE DELIVER ALL ARRANGEMENTS BY 3PM FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2020 TO OUR OCEAN VIEW LOCATION. Patricia Ann Gardner “Pat”, of Ocean View, DE, entered eternal life on Saturday, July 18, 2020. Doing it her way until the end, she passed peacefully at her home surrounded by her family, listening to oldies, and holding the hand of her Honey. Born on June 19, 1945 to the late John and Grace Shaw, Pat was raised in Toughkenamon, PA and was a 1963 graduate of Kennett High School. Though she would tell you the best and most important day of her life was March 18, 1962, when she met the love of her life and her Honey of 58 years, Charles Gardner. Selecting him during “ladies’ choice” at a Sunday Night Dance, she asked him to jitterbug and the rest is history. Four generations worth, to be exact. Together, they filled their marriage of 57 years with an abundance of love and adventure. Residing in Toughkenamon, PA and spending weekends in Ocean View for decades, the couple made the area their permanent residence by the Indian River Bay merely 14 years ago. If you asked Pat what her greatest joy was, she would tell you her family and then proceed to pull their photos from her wallet. Perhaps Pat’s greatest passion besides her family was cooking. There was never a time you would enter Pat’s house and something wouldn’t be on the stove or in the oven. So, as giving was her nature, there was always an extra seat at any table of Pat’s for unexpected guests or someone needing extra love. If you were lucky enough to share a meal with Pat, you were probably told, “if you leave here hungry, it’s your fault!” as you were carrying away your perfectly packaged leftovers. Her love for cooking also carried over professionally, working as a prep cook at The Cottage Cafe in Bethany Beach, DE until March 2020. Her soul was one deeply connected to the treasures of the sea and the beach. Pat loved fishing, boating, beach combing, sea turtles, and spotting dolphins. Though the Delaware Beaches had her heart, Pat savored the decades she spent with family and friends vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard. The first to send a handwritten card, to fill a shopping cart for a family in need, to say a prayer for someone she didn’t know, to start buying Toys for Tots as early as July, and the first to plan a party to celebrate almost anything, there is no one in the world like Pat. We ask that those who loved her spend a day living like her to preserve her memory and make the world a better place. Play some Buffett, drink a Bloody, and search for beach treasure. Remember to always take a bag to the beach so you can pick up what others have left behind, as only your footprints should be left in the sand. She certainly did in our hearts. In addition to her Honey, Charles, Pat is survived by her two children: Tracy Rzucidlo of Exton, PA and Charlie Gardner of Ocean View, DE, whom she adored beyond words. That love and adoration extended deeply to her 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren in her role as “Mom-Mom”, all of whom she enjoyed spending time with and spoiling rotten. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at 11:00 AM at Parsell Funeral Homes and Crematorium, Clarksville Chapel, 34874 Atlantic Avenue, Ocean View, DE, where friends may visit beginning at 10:00 AM. Interment will be private. Memorial contributions may be made to MERR Institute Inc., 801 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958. Due to the dangers associated with the spread of Covid 19, all attendees must wear a mask and maintain social distancing at all times while attending any aspect of the funeral services.