Patricia Laura Cordaro Mahalingappa – Douglassville, Pa. and Saint Maarten, N.A.
Patricia Laura Cordaro Mahalingappa of Douglassville, Pa. and Saint Maarten, N.A., passed away in Pottstown after an extended illness. Born in Oil City, Pat spent her early years in West Wyoming and graduated from Boyertown High School. After training to be a nurse in Philadelphia and spending a few years in New York and Wisconsin, Pat settled in Belle Vernon to raise her family. Always the life of the party, Pat enjoyed a life filled with family, friends, and above all, laughter. She took the hardships of life with a sense of humor and more than a touch of high drama. She encouraged all who knew her to do the same. Pat traveled extensively with her friends, sisters and daughters, with the United Kingdom a perennial favorite destination, though she was always up for a quick trip to NYC to catch a Broadway show. Never one to embrace silence, she loved listening to the radio, which was either tuned to the oldies station or a Pirates baseball game. In recent years, she preferred television to radio, especially outwitting the contestants on her favorite game shows. Those in her circle knew to never, ever call during “Jeopardy!” or hope to beat her in a game of Trivial Pursuit or 500 Bid. Above all, Pat was a reader. You could always find her with a book in her hand, usually a murder mystery or romance novel — best of all, a novel that had a bit of both. She was pleased to have passed her love of reading to her children and grandchildren. She also passed along her curiosity and love of learning, and she was very proud of her children and grandchildren`s academic and professional accomplishments. Pat chose to march to the beat of her own drum and stayed true to her unique self, whether it was to go on a first date with her Indian soon-to-be husband to a showing of “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” make a run to the grocery store in her mink and curlers or buy a winter home in the Caribbean when she couldn’t swim and was prone to sunburns. She was always ready to share an opinion, whether on the major issues of the day, her children`s outfits, the finished products of HGTV designers or the QVC daily deal. Pat is survived by her daughters, Jessica (Corey Michaud) of Takoma Park, Md., Jennifer of Bethesda, Md., and Laura (Nihat Polat) of Austin, Texas; her beloved grandchildren, Seth Michaud, India Michaud and Zeki Polat; her sister, Anne (Robert) Hilbert; brother-in-law, James Sassaman; her four cherished nieces, Jacqueline Sassaman Miller, Stephanie Sassaman Rogovin, Antoinette Sassaman Alderfer and Amy Hilbert Landis and their families; and dear cousins too numerous to count. She was preceded in death by many loved ones, including her husband, Chikkanarasappa; her precious sons, Tilak, Andrew and Jon; her parents, John and Anna Cordaro; and her treasured sister, Johanna Sassaman. We take solace in knowing that she and Jo are enjoying a smoke and cracking everyone up in the afterlife! Friends will be received from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, and from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022, at JAMES C. STUMP FUNERAL HOME INC., 580 Circle Drive, Rostraver Township, 724-929-7934, www.jamesstumpfuneralhome.com, where a celebration of Pat’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday. Interment will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to The Humane Society of Pennsylvania, https://humanepa.org/, or The National Kidney Foundation, www.kidney.org/.
