Patrick Meadows and Stephanie Shepard Memorial Site
Gretchen is Patrick’s third child. Her mom is Donna.
I realize that this web site reflects on my dad’s life and his many accomplishments. Patrick was a prolific writer, avid reader, skilled musician, witty raconteur, good friend, and active in pursuit of the arts. He was especially joyful about his relationship with Stephanie which he considered the best thing that ever happened to him. […]
I admire Patrick greatly, just as I admired John, my grandfather who adopted me. Each of my two fathers had special qualities that I value, and each loved me in their own way. Patrick, however, was mostly absent from my life, and from the lives of my sisters, which worried John immensely. In contrast, John […]
Yet another excerpt from Patrick’s collection of files called Scattered Notes.odt. There are still another 60 or 70 pages to add, so it will take some time to share them all with you. From Gretchen: One of my earliest memories is cops giving us sandwiches at a Greyhound Station. Tile floors. Ugly light. JP already […]
Patrick liked the writing style in this letter from Gretchen, as did I, though it was painful for him to read. Some references have been edited at my sister’s request. WARNING: Sensitive readers may be offended by this letter’s foul language or the reality of the tale itself. CHAPTER ONE You pegged Pedro dead to […]
Years ago Gretchen gave Patrick a small ring, red and silver, which he wore often. When he passed away she asked me to send it back to her, which I did. A week or two ago I was surprised to see it in my mailbox. She sent it to me, hoping that I’d wear it. […]
A gift from Gretchen: JPI’m the son of Patrick of Meadows.
Here are some family pictures from happier times. A few of these may have been posted elsewhere on the site. JPI’m the son of Patrick of Meadows.
A short recording (25 Mar ’17) in which you can tell Patrick’s pain is clearly getting to him, yet he still shows his sense of humor. John: Any interesting stories or any practical things you want to …? Patrick: I’ll have to try to… I can’t think. Let’s see. JPI’m the son of Patrick of […]
we won’t let you go! tackling me at the knees. gretchen is laughing at this new game with daddy. jennifer is older and cries her mother’s panicked eyes telling her it’s no joke with my books bundled in twenties i lash myself down the stairs, toss them into the vw bug and drive mari to […]
Here’s an e-mail exchange between Stephanie and Nick, found in a file of Patrick’s dated 7 Jan 2013 called Stephanie e-mail 2000.doc. Patrick provided the introduction. After our trip to California for my son’s wedding, we visited my daughter Gretchen, and her partner Nick later wrote this to Stephanie, who answered as below. I think […]
Here’s a letter from 12 December 1987 (has it really been 30 years?!) that I found in my files, in which Patrick proposes software that recognizes a tune and tells you the name and title. Today there’s a program called Shazam that does exactly that, albeit with a better interface than Patrick proposed. PatrickPatrick Meadows […]
Here’s a post card from 21 May 1987 that I sent to Gretchen, Patrick and Stephanie. At this point Gretchen (obviously) was living on Mallorca. JPI’m the son of Patrick of Meadows.
I’m not exactly sure when I wrote this, but based on the Gary Hart reference, it may have been on 8 May 1987. (You can click on the image to see a larger version of it.) The job reference confirms that it was some time of May 1987. Mary was flying in because Dean and […]
Here’s a postcard I sent to Gretchen (c/o Patrick) on 6 April 1987. Not much news but included for the completeness of the record. (Click on it to see a larger version.) About the Mary reference: Mary and I had driven to Vegas for my birthday celebration, but I failed to make hotel reservations. It […]
Here was a birthday card (in three images) I sent to Gretchen in Spain. It includes references to a trip with Mary to Calico, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs. In it I also issued a musical challenge to Patrick. His response later was that you have to listen to music live, not recorded. If there’s […]