Robert Patrick (Pat) Sheridan, 78
Robert Patrick (Pat) Sheridan, age 78 of Lawler, died Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, at Gunderson Medical Center in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler, with the Rev. Nick Radloff celebrating the Mass.
Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton has been entrusted with arrangements.
Robert Patrick Sheridan was born on Jan. 17, 1942, to Edward and Virginia Sheridan and raised in Lawler, the little Irish town that captured his heart from the beginning. His older siblings included Claire, Annabelle and Mike. He had two younger brothers, Bill and Tom.
Early in life, he was tagged as Pat, and few people knew that his first name was Robert. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grade School before heading to Lawler High School, where he was a member of the Class of 1960, the last class to graduate from the school before Turkey Valley was formed. Pat’s dad died when his children were young, and the Sheridan kids helped their mom by taking various jobs.
Pat was active in plays and other school activities. He was also popular with the girls because, as his brother Bill put it, he was a great dancer. At the teen hops, every girl in the room wanted to dance with Pat Sheridan.
Upon graduating from high school, Pat went to cosmetology school in Cedar Rapids to become a barber. After completing his courses, he taught at the school, which not only earned him a little extra money but also set him up for life. It was while teaching that he met a pretty student from Wellman named Jan Ellis. The two eventually began dating and were married on July 17, 1965, in Santa Cruz, California.
They loved California, where Pat’s sister Ann and her husband Gil lived, and he began to take classes at Cabrillo Community College. After getting his associate of arts degree, the Sheridans returned to Iowa, where Pat got his undergraduate degree in business education at UNI and took a teaching job in Ottumwa for one year before returning “home” to teach at Turkey Valley. He would later earn a master’s degree from Iowa State University.
His family grew to include Autumn, Ryan, Andrea and Kara, and those four children knew at an early age that they were blessed to have a father like Pat. They remember dancing on his toes as the kitchen radio played in the morning, driving with him to school and knowing their dad was the one they could turn to if they needed help with anything. That never changed through the years. If they had a problem, they knew they could talk to their dad.
At Turkey Valley, he was a gifted instructor for more than 30 years, teaching generations of kids keyboarding, drivers education, business and practical lessons like balancing a checkbook and learning how to spend wisely. Those lessons freshman Trojans learned in his general business classes are being used by Turkey Valley alums scattered all over the country today. What made Pat such a good teacher was the knack he had to “reach” every student. He understood the vital importance of teachers creating meaningful relationships with students, and they appreciated that. Countless times in recent days, the Sheridan children have heard the words “he was one of my favorites” from former students.
After retiring from Turkey Valley, he taught classes at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. As a testament to the relationships Pat built, NICC called in grief counselors for students after Pat passed away.
Pat loved Lawler and his church, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. He started the city’s website, posting often. He was one of the driving forces behind bringing Irish Fest back to the city. He was devoted to members of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, especially as he served as the church’s funeral liaison to families who had lost loved ones. They knew, quite simply, they were in the best of hands.
Pat had a hilarious sense of humor, and he had a penchant for coming up with the right line at the right time. One year at Irish Fest, he came and sat down next to his brother Bill and promptly announced that “the good-looking Sheridan” had arrived. He took as good as he gave, and if you didn’t leave a conversation with Pat with a smile, you had to be the grumpiest person to walk the face of the Earth.
Family, though, came first for Pat Sheridan, especially when it came to his grandchildren. Kayla, Nick, Victoria, Elizabeth, Abby, Connor, Boston, Alexa, Emma, Brady and Josie had a one-of-a-kind grandpa. Pat and Jan did everything in their power to attend every single one of their grandchildren’s events—be it a game, a play or a concert. If someone bought him a beer afterward, well, a perfect day got even better.
There are a million Pat Sheridan stories to be told, but maybe the best way to describe this happy, gregarious and loving man is to say he changed lives—the lives of his children, grandchildren, students, friends, his church and the little town he loved so much.
Pat wouldn’t want us to be sad at his passing; in fact, he told his children that he didn’t want them to cry when he died—he wanted them to toast to him. So they did, and as much as they will miss him, they will find peace knowing that he is in Heaven, cracking a few jokes and looking to the day when all the Sheridans will be reunited.
Pat is survived by his wife, Jan, of Lawler; his children, Autumn (Todd) Reynoldson of Maryville, Tennessee, Ryan (Diane) Sheridan of Denver, Iowa, Andrea (John) Pleggenkuhle of West Union, and Kara (Nick) Speltz of New Hampton; his siblings, Claire (Richard) Upham of Madison, Wisconsin, Ann (Guilbert) Morse of Santa Cruz, California, Bill (Renee) Sheridan of Johnston, and Tom (Eleni) Sheridan of Ruskin, Florida; his 11 grandchildren; nieces and nephews; former students; and a community and a church that were much better because of Pat’s tireless work and infectious smile.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Mike in 1995.
