Patricia Ellen (O'Neill) Couillard

Port Charlotte, FL: Patricia Ellen (O'Neill) Couillard passed away on Saturday, January 20 at her residence, South Port Square in Port Charlotte, Florida.

     Patricia was born in Pontiac, Michigan on November 28, 1926 to the late Emmett C. and Catherine (Beakley) O'Neill of Hancock.

     In 1949 she married George McMillan Couillard whom she first met while he was a student at Michigan Tech. George preceded her in death in 2008, as well as her two sons, Jim in 2005 and Jeff in 2007.

     As a young mother, she was active in her neighborhoods of Mt. Clemens and Grosse Point Woods, Michigan. She was an enthusiastic and loving homemaker who enjoyed hosting family and friends. She enjoyed a beautifully set table and was at ease with warm conversation over a shared meal. Pat was a skilled seamstress and was proud of making most all of her own clothes. Her husband George retired from his Macomb County insurance firm in 1980 and he and Pat settled first in a golf community called Michaywe Pines in Gaylord, Michigan. Pat took up golf enthusiastically and loved establishing their retirement home. Later they relocated to southwest Florida in a lovely patio home in Cape Haze near Englewood. Tragically, she buried both of her boys and then became a widow when George died of cancer. Pat shouldered a considerable amount of grief in her later years and contributed to others by leading a regular grief-support group.

     Pat was a member of Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Englewood, Florida for many years.

     Besides her husband and sons, Pat was also preceded in death by a brother, Robert Emmett (Marie) O'Neill of Hancock.

     She is survived by three grandsons: Kyle (Renee) and Danny of Idaho, and Joshua of New Mexico; a daughter-in-law, Ivette Couillard; 8 great-grandchildren; and by several nieces and nephews.

     A memorial mass will be celebrated at a later time at the Church of the Resurrection in Hancock. The O'Neill-Dennis Funeral Home of Hancock is assisting with local arrangements. To leave online condolences, please go to www.oneilldennisfh.com.

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