On February 10, 2016 at about 10 a.m., Pat Ciochetto crossed over to join her beloved husband Jerry Ciochetto and the nephew she parented for so many years, Sean Hajdu.
Pat was born in 1937 in the province of Quebec, Canada and lived her youth in and around Quebec City and Montreal. After school, she travelled extensively in her youth and collected photos from all the exotic places she visited, sharing her stories many times over with her curious family.
Eventually, she found her husband through a correspondence service; the precursor to online dating. After many letters and a few visits, she was sure Gerry Ciochetto was the partner she could merge her journey with in a spirit of deep curiosity about the world.
An opera singer and talented seamstress, Pat took her husband’s hometown of Chisholm, Minnesota by storm. Pat and Jerry led an unconventional life, filling their home with books on language, physics, science, wildlife, architecture and more. After a number of years, they saved enough to buy their own plot of property surrounded by state forest, eventually designing and building their home together.
Pat and Jerry were at their happiest in Side Lake, contributing to the beauty of the area by planting thousands of trees.
Many a marvelous dinner party was held at the house in Side Lake featuring delicious meals that Pat prepared with great skill and creativity.
Before the term life-long learning was coined, Pat inspired all of those who knew her with her passion and curiosity about a host of subjects too many to list. Her drawings, writings and beadwork will be treasured evidence of her thirst for personal exploration and expression.
After the death of Jerry, Pat moved to Grand Marais to be closer to her niece and great nephews. She integrated well into the thriving arts community, writing for the Cook County Star, appearing in several plays, and volunteering with a youth mentoring program.
Several years later she returned to Canada to join her niece Patty and family in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Pat is survived by her sister Barb Hajdu, niece Patty Hajdu (Paul Field), great-nephews Jacob and Sam Wilson-Hajdu and Seth Hajdu and great-niece Ashton Hajdu.
She was pre-deceased by her parents, Albert Perry and Yvonne Taschereau, husband Gerald Ciochetto, brother Don Bigman and many dear friends.
According to Pat’s wishes, no service will be held, but rather, in the spring, a tree will be planted in her memory. Should friends wish, a donation to an arts charity or youth program in Pat’s memory would be welcome.
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