GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 19 - February 2012

By Rick (universal4) Last October a good friend and valued member of the GPWA and a number of other online forums, Pat Chapdelaine (Giggles7p - Triple777s), passed away. It’s no secret that I am a strong advocate for the smaller affiliate and Giggles really exemplified what it means to be a GPWA member. Although Pat was what almost all of us would term a small affiliate, she knew that she could visit the GPWA for help, guidance, support and all-around ca- maraderie (besides having a good laugh), and she would be treated with respect no matter how much money she made or how much traffic or how many players she could send to properties. Pat was a member of many forums, al- though she was quite a bit more active in some than others. Anyone who ever came into contact with her was always greeted with cheer and a sense of humor that was both fresh and uncompromised. Pat’s screen name, “Giggles,” came from her days as a truck driver. It was her CB handle. But it was also a great way to de- scribe the joy she brought to people’s lives and these forums. She had a way of cheering people up. No matter how they felt prior to talking with her (or reading her posts), rarely would anyone have an interaction with Giggles without feeling better about their cur- rent situation. She wrote poems for people on their birth- days. She always had a joke to cheer peo- ple up. And she was always able to laugh at herself. She also loved being a member of this community. “I just love everyone to death, I have such a great time here, laughing, flirting (one of my favorite things to do) lol, and learn- ing,” Pat once said about the GPWA. “It’s priceless the knowledge that comes out of this site, there are a few members here that I swear are at a genius level!” Pat also loved animals. One of her dreams was to open her own animal rescue foun- dation. “I plan on doing this in the future, [opening] some kind of animal rescue,” Pat once said. “My life is not complete if there are not animals included, all ani- mals -- except spiders!” Here is just a sampling of what some of her friends had to say following the news: Cash2c: A wonderful woman indeed! My thoughts and prayers are with the family. GFPC: Whenever I think of animals now I will always remember Giggles - she was a true cat fanatic just like me. AK: Pat was one of the finest people I re- cently had the opportunity to do business with. ElaineGardiner: Pat was always so full of life with her jokes and poems. Bonustreak: Pat always had such nice things to say about everyone, and she al- ways made sure to cheer those down up. The above is just a portion of what peo- ple had to say about her. She touched so many lives with her kindness and she will be greatly missed. What a lot of people didn’t know about Pat was that she was constantly fighting her own battles with illness, but rarely did she ever let anyone know that she herself was having a bad time because she was always more concerned for others no matter what she felt like. Sadly on the evening of October 20, 2011 it became too much and she passed qui- etly in a hospital room surrounded by her close family. She is survived by her husband of 20 years, Gary, and by three children: two boys, Jamie and Branden Coneita, and one girl, Toni Cunningham. The family did not have a public memorial service but instead had a private gathering at their neighborhood church. In subsequent conversations with Gary, as well as posts and talks with Branden, the one thing that was apparent was how much Pat truly loved everyone and, as Branden put it, “She always loved writing and finally got her chance to do it on here. You guys also gave her a chance to spread her love and laughter around the world.” Goodbye, Pat. Rest in peace. I n memory of G iggles PAT CHAPDELAINE 1962-2011 obituary 75 In memory of Giggles