Patricia (Pat) Barkhuff

Patricia (Pat) Barkhuff

August 31, 1929– September 7, 2021

Pat was born in Hanover, NH, and educated in New Hampshire, Ohio, Wisconsin and SUNY Albany – plus a summer fling in Oslo. How did she end up in Saugerties, NY? Pat’s answer, ‘I met Barky’.

Pat and Barky spent 31 years in the Saugerties school system. She taught high school English for all those years. Her absolute favorite of the literature she taught was Steven Vincent Benet’s poem, “John Brown’s Body.” Pat packed a lot within those years. She was the first woman to run for Town Council in 1968, before many women did that kind of thing. Their overarching commitment was to their churches, in Saugerties and Florida. For their 36 years in Sarasota, they have been hardworking members of the United Church of Christ, working as deacons, in the library, in the Women’s Fellowship and on various committees.

Pat and Barky loved their summers in their home in North Creek, NY and later at their condo in Rutland, Vermont.

It really has not been all work and no play: reading, of course, painting, cooking, concerts, plays and musicals, bridge, movies. Pat had a love of rabbits – real and stuffed – and, following an old English tradition, she said ‘Rabbit, Rabbit’ on the first day of each month – for ‘good luck’.

Pat was pre-deceased by her husband, H. Graham Barkhuff (Barky), their stepchildren Andy and Pammy. The doors in the Chapel at Plymouth Harbor were made by Barky in the woodshop and given in memory of Andy and Pammy. Within the stained-glass windows in the chapel doors are two rabbits.

She is survived by her sister-in-law Marcia Turner; nieces and nephews, Melinda Blodgett; Mac and Doug Smith; Gary, Peter, Sue, and Andy Cornell; and her cousin Virginia Stark. She was predeceased by her sisters Doris Smith and Janice Cornell; her brother, Courtney Cornell and her nephew, Tom Cornell.

A service of celebration of Pat’s life will be held in the fall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can go to the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1031 S. Euclid Ave., Sarasota 34237.

Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher

Related Posts

Next Post

Weather

Kingston, NY
39°
Partly Cloudy
6:42 am7:18 pm EDT
Feels like: 36°F
Wind: 5mph N
Humidity: 49%
Pressure: 29.83"Hg
UV index: 0
SatSunMon
57°F / 37°F
55°F / 36°F
52°F / 39°F

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.