Biography

Funeral services for Patricia “Pat” S. Ceresoli age 78 of Point Comfort Road Morristown, and winter address of Marco Island, FL will be held on Friday (Feb 26, 2010) at 10:00am at the St. Peters Catholic Church in Hammond with Rev. Kevin McEwen and Rev. Steven Murray concelebrating. Burial will follow the service at Brier Hill Cemetery.

Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 2-4 & 7-9pm at the Fox & Murray Funeral Home, 528 Franklin St; Ogdensburg, NY 13669. Mrs. Ceresoli passed away unexpectedly Monday morning (Feb 22, 2010) at Claxton Hepburn Medical Center surrounded by her loving family.

Surviving is her husband of 56 years Donald A. Ceresoli Sr., a son Donald A. Ceresoli Jr., & his wife Joy of Hammond; five daughters Donna Bickelhaupt of Hammond, Mary Truskowski & her husband Chester of Hammond, Jinny Prud’homme & her husband Grant of Hammond, Lisa Crysler & her husband Jeff of Marietta, NY and Beverly Morley of Ogdensburg; a sister Beverly Knight of Park City, UT; 22 grandchildren Erin Meyer, Katie & Traci Bickelhaupt, Chet, Jeffrey, Elizabeth & Ellen Truskowski, Erica Webster, Donald, Pamela & Daniel Ceresoli, Holly Shellenberger, Drew Bickelhaupt, Grant & David Prud’homme, Sydney, Jeffrey & Johnny Crysler, Drew Johnson, Jr., William Morley, Jr., Sara Jeneault & Patricia Walker; 9 great-grandchildren and several nieces, nephews & cousins.

A brother John “Jack” Sherman predeceased her.

Pat was born on January 13, 1932 in Utica, NY, a daughter of John & Irene (Maloney) Sherman. She graduated from Oriskany High School in 1950, and continued her education at the Utica Business School. She married Donald A. Ceresoli on November 27, 1954. The couple moved to Hammond in 1968 and began their years of business co-ownership of the Citizens Telephone Company, Castle Cable TV, Topsham Telephone Company in Vermont, and the Harbor Inn Restaurant in Morristown from 1978 – 2006.

Pat was an active member of the St. Peter’s Alter & Rosary Society in Hammond, past board member of the Claxton Hepburn Medical Center Foundation, a member of NYS Independent Telephone Pioneers and the Hammond Women’s Bowling League. She enjoyed spending time with her family, cooking, traveling and visits to her cottage on Raquette Lake and her winter home on Marco Island, FL.

Memorial donations in her memory, have been requested to Brier Hill, Hammond or Morristown Fire Dept or the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center in Ogdensburg.






Eulogy by Chet Truskowski


When Father Murray was at the house the day before yesterday, he described the sick feeling we all have in our stomachs. Pat would not have wanted that. She would not have wanted us to mourn her passing, but to celebrate her life. Once in a great while, a person enters our lives and makes a difference, Pat Ceresoli was that type of person. She saw our suffering and tried to sooth it, she saw our pain and tried to ease it. There is an ancient Chinese saying that fits Pat perfectly.. loosely translated it goes something like this, "If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap, if you want to be happy for the rest of your life, help someone." Trust me, Pat is the happiest person in heaven. I remember years ago when we were in New York City, a city that Pat really loved, we had dinner at a nice restaurant. Towards the end of dinner she asked the waiter for a box so that she could take the uneaten portion of her meal with her. I said, " Pat, when do you think you are going to eat that?" She simply said, "I know". As we were walking back to our hotel, she stopped by a homeless man whom she had seen earlier and handed him the box of food.... It didn't matter who you were, Pat was always there to help.

During her courageous battle with cancer, she withstood pain and suffering but never complained. In fact, when treated by doctors and nurses she always got more out of them then they got out of her. I now know that one of her doctors was recently engaged at the Eiffel Tower in Paris was remodeling her kitchen and wanted to have granite countertops. Pat was a great conversationalist. This was a talent that made her so successful at the Harbor Inn. I don't know where she found the energy to do everything that she did. She was simply tireless. She'd work at the telephone office, work at the Harbor, try to get some time in the sun, manage her household and keep our large family in line. And somehow she also found time to iron all Don's shirts. She had a special love for Don. During 56 years of marriage, 6 children, 22 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, her love for Don never waivered. Whether it was strolling arm in arm along the streets of some city or working together at their various businesses, the two of them had a special bond. They brought different skill sets to their marriage and together they formed an unbeatable team.

Pat loved her family. It didn't matter what her kids or grandchildren did, each one was her favorite. It was alright for her to get them to toe the line every once in a while but don't you get caught saying anything negative about any one of them. She defended them to the hilt. Christmas time was always a treat. No grandchild went home without more presents than they knew what to do with. Her tree was always the biggest and her livingroom was always jam-packed with gifts. If you wanted to know the latest in gift trends, Grandma's house was the place to be on Christmas morning. She literally planned for Christmas year round.

Pat was a great cook. Anyone who ate at the Harbor Inn can attest to that. Imagine eating her cooking all the time. I am not sure what your favorite dish was. For me it was anything that had her tomato sauce on it. Ziti, spaghetti or egg plant it didn't matter. It got to the point that she made it common practice to place a bowl of sauce on the dinner table whenever I came over to her house for dinner.

We all know that Pat loved animals. The more mixed breed the better. I know that if she read her obituary, she'd be giving me heck for not including Patches, her cat. She loved feeding her birds and watching her swans swim in the bay in front of her house. To her every animal was special and needed her help.

Pat was a very spiritual person who didn't have a mean bone in her body. She never held a grudge and she always forgave everyone. There might have been one exception, however. She was always unhappy with former State Senator Jim Wright's decision years ago to vote against increasing the speed limit on RT 81 from 55 mph to 65 mph. She did like to push the limit when she drove. And speaking of politics, Hilary Clinton was her woman. To Pat, Hilary represented everything that was right with politics, she was a woman, a democrat and she stood by her man when he needed her the most. You could always promote a livley discussion by saying something about Hilary.

In closing, it is important for all of us to never forget the lessons that Pat taught us. She lived by the golden rule, do onto others as you would have them do onto you. Actually her interpretation of that rule went more like, "do more for others than they do for you" You will do well to always remember when faced with any situation in your life, to ask yourself, "What would Pat do?, What would mom do? or what would grandma do?" We are all better people for knowing Pat. Her spirit will live on in everyone of us. Pat would want us leaving here today happier for having known her... because we are gathered here today not to mourn her passing but to celebrate her life.

Calling Hours

Thursday February 25, 2010, 2-4 - 7-9PM at Fox & Murray Funeral Home
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Funeral Services

Friday February 26, 2010, 10:00am at St. Peters Catholic Church
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