Pat Whitfield: 16 June 1936 – 27 December 2022
by IAN GLASS
There is a quote which reads, “Today let’s all be thankful for all the kindhearted people
who have touched our lives”.
My mother, Pat Whitfield, knew lots of them. Mom was born on June 16 1936 in Healdtown (Eastern Cape) to Charlie and Jess Stuart, better known as Boss Charlie and Granny Jeff.
Boss Charlie moved the business to Fort Beaufort (Bofolo) and they bought the family home – Molesworth.
This became the centre of the Stuart Clan for many years. Boss Charlie died in 1959, leaving Granny Jeff to keep the family together. Mom went to GHS in Queenstown, where she honed her hockey skills and, taking after her mother, was a keen academic. After matric she went to study at UCT in Cape Town. She loved her studies and sport at UCT and
made the SA varsity hockey team. During her mid-year break she met a red-headed
newcomer to the district, Ian Paterson Glass. All thoughts of UCT were abandoned and
they were married in September 1956.
The following year I was born. Two years later my brother, Alister, arrived. We lived on Gonzana Farm in the Cat Valley just outside Fort Beaufort where my dad was managing the farm for Boss Charlie and Granny Jeff.
My uncle Andy took over Gonzana and that’s when my parents moved off the farm and purchased Wavecrest (with lots of help from the family). They made a great team and turned Wavecrest into a success story. Soon after moving there, my sister Penny arrived.
In 1971 my folks sold Wavecrest to what is now the EC Development Corporation and moved to Stutterheim so we could enjoy more family time.
We farmed there for a while before moving to the Killaloo in the Impendle district, KZN. The move to meant mom and dad could second us at canoe races and watch us play sport. This was a very special time for us. It was tough farming but beautiful up in the Berg.
Mom said her only regret was that she didn’t start painting while she was there.
Our lives were shattered in July 1977 when dad, Alister and Penny died in an aeroplane crash close to our farm. Mom and I continued with the farming but mom wasn’t coping well. In the end I suggested that we move closer to her family in the Eastern Cape.
We bought Eagles Ridge Hotel outside Stutterheim. We leased the farm and moved. We did lots of refurbishing and the hotel was transformed. We opened it and it became a success.
Soon afterwards Mom was swept off her feet by Albert and they married in December 1978 at Eagles Ridge. John, Albert’s son, bought the hotel from us.
Mom moved to Nugget Farm in the Free State and embraced her new life. Here she joined the Rotary Annes, in support of Albert in Rotary.
She and Albert shared a love for the Nugget cattle, Sussex! Mom even became a Sussex
cattle judge.
In 2009 they sold Nuggett and moved down to 41 Milkwoods in Port Alfred.
Mom and Albert were very happy here, with Albert becoming a professional golfer and Mom painting, writing poetry and looking after Albert’s books. They continued to be part of Rotary in Port Alfred and she never stopped knitting and making pancakes for the Rotary
Annes. I hope her recipe didn’t die with her. She also loved teaching at the Nemato
schools.
In February 2021 Albert died and mom was again on her own. She lived on at 41 Milkwoods and continued with her painting, knitting, poetry and pancake making.
In September 2022 she moved to Damant Lodge where she soon made new friends and fitted in easily.
She always had lots of visitors and her friends kept her spirits up. Eventually she was moved to Frail Care where she passed away peacefully on December 27, 2022.
She was a brave fighter but in the end just slipped away into a pain-free world.
Rest in peace dear, precious mom, who lived two lives – first with my dad for 21 years and then with Albert for 42 years.
– Ian Glass is Pat Whitfield’s son.
