Patricia E. Gingrich

Patricia E. "Pat" Drace Gingrich, 81, of Mount Joy, passed away on Saturday, June 6, 2020, at her home in Mount Joy. Born in Stauffertown, PA, she was the daughter of the late Charles S. and Esther A. (Dell) Drace. Pat was the wife of the late Ohmer F. "Pete" Gingrich, Jr., who passed away on October 9, 1999. They had been married 40 years. Pat and Pete were charter members of Hempfield United Methodist Church. In recent years, she was a member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Mount Joy. Pat graduated from Donegal High School in the class of 1957. She was a majorette, a cheerleader, and was selected to the May Queen Court. She retired from Armstrong World Industries in 2010 after 42 years of service. She was a 22-year member of ABWA, serving as vice-president, secretary, hospitality chairman, business associate co-chairman, and scholarship dance co-chairman. In 1994-95 she was honored as Woman of the Year for the Conestoga Chapter of ABWA. From 2014 to 2017 she worked part-time at Hershey Conewago Campgrounds. In the past, Pat volunteered at the Mount Joy Food Bank and the Lancaster Library. A highlight of Pat's life was spending time with her friends and family. She considered it a joy and an honor to support and encourage them, attending countless social events, ball games, concerts, dramatic performances, and graduation ceremonies throughout the years. In recent years, she treasured the opportunity to live next to her life-long friend and loved being part of a tight-knit community. Pat greatly enjoyed traveling, and took a much-anticipated trip to Ireland in 2019 to celebrate her 80th birthday. She and Pete loved visiting new places and meeting new people, having visited Alaska, Germany, and Switzerland, and developed a long-lasting friendship with a family in Holland. She had gathered an extensive teddy bear collection and donated most of it to the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Pat is survived by her two daughters, Judy Hazeley, of York, wife of William, and Linda Lohr, of Lititz, wife of Brian; 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Peggy I. Benedict, of Elizabethtown. She was preceded in death by her brothers Charles D. Drace and H. Eugene Drace. A graveside service honoring Pat's life will be held on Saturday, July 11, 2020, in the Silver Spring Cemetery, 3611 Marietta Ave., Silver Spring, PA. Please join family and friends for visitation by the graveside starting at 1:00, with the service immediately following at 2:00. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute (2102 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601), and Hospice & Community Care (685 Good Drive, PO Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604).

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Patricia E. Gingrich

May 6, 1939 - June 6, 2020