Montclair Food Pantry Mourns ‘Relentlessly Positive’ Volunteer

MONTCLAIR, NJ — “All good. No worries. Play your game. I’m so blessed.” No doubt these were some of the oft-repeated mantras that coursed through the minds of many Montclair residents after hearing of the passing of beloved community-booster, Patricia Strain.

Strain, a well-known volunteer with the Montclair Human Needs Food Pantry, Montclair Kimberly Academy and a cornucopia of local charity efforts, passed away earlier this week after a two-year battle with brain cancer, the nonprofit announced on Sunday.

She leaves behind her husband, Jon Strain, and their three adult sons, Jack, 25, Joe, 21, and Rob, 21.

Mike Bruno, the executive director of the Montclair Human Needs Food Pantry, told Patch that it was an "incredibly sad" time for those at the nonprofit who knew Strain.

"It would be impossible to quantify what Patty meant meant to all of us here at the food pantry," Bruno said. "She was a remarkable woman with boundless energy, a personality that endeared her to everyone who met her."

Bruno said that Strain was deeply involved in the food pantry's mission for more than 20 years, and often gave deeply of her time, talents and herself to benefit the pantry's clients.

"She delivered food to the home-bound every week, she rallied teams of volunteers to prepare hundreds and hundreds of bags during the Thanksgiving holiday periods (the busiest in our year) along with her husband and her sons, and she was a smiling, caring presence in our facility each week," Bruno said. "Her warmth, kindness and generous spirit will be deeply missed by all. Anyone looking for proof of the existence of angels need look no further than our Patty."

A wake will be held at Hugh M. Moriarty Funeral Home at 76 Park Street in Montclair on Friday, Oct. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral Mass celebrating her life will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Immaculate Conception Church, 30 North Fullerton Ave., Montclair.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking mourners to donate to the Human Needs Food Pantry of Montclair, where Strain volunteered for more than 20 years.

A touching obituary reminded local residents of the heartwarming range of Strain’s community service, as well as her depth of character (read the full article here).

“Patty Strain of Montclair left a big hole in our hearts this week when she passed away from her two-year battle with brain cancer. She leaves behind her husband Jon Strain and their three adult sons, Jack (25), Joe (21) and Rob (21). She was a fantastic mother, wife and active volunteer in the town of Montclair for the Human Needs Food Pantry, Montclair Kimberly Academy and any charity her friends cared about.

“Patty was often seen walking the streets of Montclair waving to her many old friends and all the new friends she had yet to meet. She was known for her positive spirit, her generous heart and a desire to see people at their best. She had the special ability to make everyone feel like they were the most important person in the room when she listened to them. She loved people and always wanted to know ‘how is your day?” She was relentlessly positive and polite and coached her boys to act with humility and kindness. Her friends and family often quoted the playful banter that became her daily mantras. “All good”, “No worries”, “Play your game”, and “I’m so blessed” will be remembered as lessons in how to live a happy life.

“She will always be associated with the little red boxes that she lovingly packed with her homemade English toffee. Tied with white satin ribbons, this toffee was our family’s signature Christmas gift and was widely sought after. Patty would stay up late into the winter night to cook and pack enough boxes to gift her family’s roster of VIPs: teachers, coaches, administrators, contractors, business colleagues, clients and the many friends who needed some love. The family often had to pitch in to meet peak demand as she kept the recipe a family secret. She loved the act of giving and her toffee was a symbol of her generous heart.

“Patty was a big sports fan. She loved that her Cubs finally won a World Series. She often wore a school logo fleece carrying her telephoto lens camera in the stands snapping photos of her teams. She was an amazing supporter of Montclair, Bates and Gettysburg players of any sex or sport and taught her sons to respect the players of all teams whether competing versus a crosstown rival or JV practice squad. She loved competitive swimming and had all of her boys in Bradford Bath and Tennis speedos as soon as they could swim a lap. She played tennis on the BB&T team and her partners appreciated her strong left hand volley and focus on “just this point”. She was a great competitor but never a poor loser.

“Before moving to NJ, Patty was proud of her work selling the first laptop computers to automate sales forces for Grid Systems in Chicago. She loved the fun, young people she worked with there and was named Top Salesperson in the company as a 26 year old. Of course, she loved her customers as people, gave them great service and charmed them with red boxes of toffee for Christmas. She met her husband, Jon, in the elevator leaving work with her colleague. They were married 8 months later.

“She was from Chicago and never got used to telling people she lived in NJ even after 25 years. The Midwest holds a special place in her heart and she loved expounding on the merits of the Chicago lakefront and its grid street system. She attended Illinois State University and Regina Dominican High School. She was born Patricia Jean Brennan in Evanston, Illinois to Al and Mary Francis Brennan and is survived by 3 brothers, Al Brennan Jr, Bill Brennan and Jim Brennan, and 2 sisters, Anne Brennan and Mary Beth Luhrsen, and 15 nieces and nephews all of whom live in the Midwest.”

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Photo courtesy of Montclair Human Needs Food Pantry (used with permission)