Mrs. Patricia Louise Bishton

If someone were to ask about my mother, you would probably hear the standard "who, what, why, where, and when" that is used to describe a person: My mother, Patricia Louise, was born on October 3, 1944 to Paul and Irene Bellerose. At the time they lived in Connecticut, but a few years later my grandparents moved the family of four (my grandparents, my mom, and her older brother) out to Southern California. When my mom was nineteen, she married Denis Micheal Bishton. They were married for nearly 50 years, Denis passing away a mere 19 days before their anniversary. Together they had 7 children, who in turn gave them over 26 grandchildren. Patricia passed away on November 13, 2014, 172 days after the love of her life. But that was WHAT my mom was, not WHO. Patricia Bishton was the kindest person I knew. She would go out of her way to help others whether it was a meal, a ride, a place to stay for awhile, or even just an person to talk to. No one was ever turned away if they were hungry or found themselves alone on a holiday. Because of this, many of our friends considered her "Mom". She was the first to volunteer when the church's food program was short on people, even shopping at commissaries, and numerous grocery stores on holidays, when the need arose. For several years, my mother was the culinary force behind our church's Christmas Boutique, even buying the supplies so all proceeds would benefit the church. The only thing she asked in return was that her children didn't have to pay for food during that weekend. Even as we got older and moved out of her house, her pantry was always open if one of her children found themselves in need and low on food. My mother loved to sing. She sang in church, she sang when she cooked, she sang when she gardened, but most importantly she sang with her daughters. We all grew up loving to sing because that is what Mom loved to do. She loved to read, she loved to sing, she loved to garden, she loved her puppies, she loved her brother, she loved her husband and she loved her children, every single one of them. It didn't matter if we were her biological children, her sons and daughters that married in, or the ones she collected throughout her 70 years. And she adored all of the grandchildren we gave her, whether they were biological or not. That was who Patricia Louise Bishton was. She was love, caring, hope, gracious, had a wicked sense of humor and she could certainly turn a phrase if she chose (her favorite being "For what are you looking which you cannot find"). She loved well, and in return she was well loved. She will be greatly missed.

Mrs. Patricia Louise Bishton

October 3, 1944 - November 13, 2014