Christopher Baker pays tribute to the late Patrick Pelosi in beautifully composed eulogy
(Christopher Baker spoke at the Funeral Mass for Patrick J. Pelosi on January 13 at Our Lady of Grace Church. Mr. Pelosi entered eternal rest Jan. 9 at the age of 50.)
I would like to thank everybody for coming today
We all know that my cousin struggled with substance abuse for some time.
I’m not going to talk to you today about the Patrick Pelosi of the last few years. I want to speak on the person that I knew for most of my life.
We were born two weeks apart in 1975 and even though we were technically first cousins, we were really brothers. We lived in the same house, went to the same schools, played the same sports and for a while my mother and Aunt Barbara dressed us the same.
That made us brothers.
Sometimes it also made us a target!
Wearing matching pink polo shirts, white shorts and white sneakers in Chelsea didn’t always go so well. Especially when we were hanging down the park playing sports with the other kids. Once they started ragging on us, Pat would rub mud and dirt all over his clothes and say do you think I care about these clothes?
Personally, I would never do that, but he had more guts than I did. The kids would laugh and they loved him. He always won people over.
Growing up Pat was a tremendous athlete and sports came easy to him. He wasn’t just good, he was great. At everything .
He had a great sense of humor and a laugh that would make you laugh. Thinking of it now puts a smile on my face.
My cousin had an infectious personality. It was larger than life. He would approach and have conversations with anyone and everyone.
I remember when we were in elementary school, sending Pat into the middle of the girl dance circles to break the ice, because we were all too afraid.
That actually continued to college parties as well. With a Mountain Dew in one hand and a Milky Way in the other, he would walk up to any girl, make them laugh and introduce his friends. He was a true asset.
Everyone loved Pat. From the guy picking up tickets at Suffolk Downs to Heads of Business. It even extended to professional athletes.
I remember a time when Pat told us that he was friends with NBA legend Dominique Wilkins. I remember laughing and ragging on him.
Few nights later I get a phone call from Pat’s number and the guy on the other line is none other than Dominique Wilkins. I can hear Pat in the background laughing, he grabs the phone and yells, “ I told you kid, Nique’s my guy!!!
There were a ton of these stories. I’m sure you have just as many.
Years go by and life happens. Some crossroads, and some roads not taken. You never know where it’s going to lead. When you encounter addiction, the road gets confusing and a lot of people can’t find their way back. I think that’s what happened to Pat. I always said that my cousin could’ve been anything he wanted in this world. He could just never see it.
I miss my cousin, my brother, my friend.
My aunt Barbara and Patrick lived together their whole lives. Barbara passed away this past August. Now her son gets to join her in heaven where he belongs.
I’m sure Barbara’s looking down right now saying, “ God you couldn’t give me more than five months alone?”