Patty Ann Bertoncin, age 80, of Lee's Summit, Missouri, passed away on Friday, October 22nd. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Anna Marie Tierney, a brother, Mike Tierney, and a sister, Katherine Eisenbrandt.

Patty Ann leaves behind her husband of 59 years, Bernard Bertoncin, and sisters Eileen Gendreau, Mary Margaret Skach, and Claudia Culbertson; five children: Joe Bertoncin and his wife Beth, Ann Kavanaugh, son-in-law Tim Kavanaugh, Jeff Bertoncin and his wife Tracy, Theresa Thornhill and her husband Dave, and Julie Bertoncin; eight grandchildren: Jenise Oliver and her husband Jimmer, Neia Bertoncin and her fiancee Tim Colyer, Dan Kavanaugh, Louie Bertoncin, Alyce Kavanaugh, Dorothy Bertoncin and her husband Dave Meyer, Elsa Thornhill, and Spencer Thornhill; and four great grandchildren: Jack, Oliver, Emilia, and Elias.

Her family will tell you that she possessed an extraordinary ability to remember birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates. She also cared deeply for others, as any friend of her children that visited the house, even for a few minutes, could attest. Her huge heart and compassion for others would be difficult for most saints to match. Her love for other people might even have outrivaled her love for chocolate, which seems ridiculous to say. In the words of one grandchild, "Quite frankly, she loved everyone".

Family memories include camping trips, sometimes with close friends or extended family. Her children generally picture her in the kitchen, which is easily explained when you consider having to prepare meals for five children. There were also multiple holiday get-togethers hosted at their house that included too much food, too many people for the space, but always room for friends or "adopted" family. For many years, Fourth of July parties were held all day at their house in Blue Springs, and friends and family dropped in all day and stayed for the fireworks show at night.

Among the memories her family laughs about, Patty Ann's driving was legendary. She seemed to understand accelerating hard and braking hard, but not much in between. Anyone who rode with her was amazed how quickly other cars got out of her way and felt lucky to have arrived safely at their destination.

She was also notoriously late for everything. Her children talk about "Tierney Time" and devised ways to trick Mom into getting ready earlier than necessary to arrive on time. Bernard even used a system to get her to medical appointments, posting times fifteen minutes earlier than necessary on their calendar.

Patty Ann was a devout Catholic who was always very active in her church. She played important roles in religious education, including serving as director of religious education at multiple churches. At the age of 52, she received a degree in Religious Studies from Avila University and became a chaplain. She was also rewarded by Bernard for her achievement with a dream trip of hers to Ireland. She retired as a chaplain, a job she seemed born to do, from St. Mary's Hospital in Blue Springs.

Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, at St. John LaLande Catholic Church, Blue Springs, MO. Inurnment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Three Oaks Hospice in Independence, MO.