Patricia
(Pat)
Anne
Love
(née
Lacey)
Patricia (Pat) Anne Love (née Lacey)
Born in Toronto September 9, 1927, to parents Thyrza (née Weir) and Alexander Lacey, Pat passed away on Thursday, May 5, 2022, at the age of 94. She will be deeply missed by her five loving daughters and their partners: Karen (Robert), Jennifer (David), Susan (Ned), Marthe (Chris) and Cathy (Richard); six grandsons: James, Thomas, Patrick, Sean, Devin and Taylor; her great grandson Revon; and many beloved nieces, nephews and close friends. Pat was predeceased by all four of her siblings: David, Margaret, Howard, and Barbara.
Pat’s compassion and leadership supporting restorative justice endeavours is apparent in decades of work assisting those in need: as a provincial probation/parole officer; founder and president of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough; and co-founder of the Ottawa chapter of Circles of Support and Accountability, a highly successful reintegration program that operates Canada-wide. In recognition of her dedication to this work, she was awarded the CoSA Canada Award of Distinction in December 2020.
For five years, Pat led social action committee members to keep a weekly vigil at Ottawa’s Human Rights Monument, through rain, sun, and snow, objecting to drastic budget cuts for society’s most vulnerable. In 2001, at the age of 74, she undertook a 250 km protest walk from Ottawa to Peterborough, spotlighting Ontario’s serious social housing crisis. One year later, she walked 50 km solo on the El Camino de Santiago in Spain. Pat’s work has contributed greatly to harm-reduction in communities and to beneficial personal and social transformation for many hundreds of individuals in need. She will be remembered too for her love of music, her wizardry with crossword puzzles, grape pie, and so much more. Pat was an inspiration to all who knew her.
A celebration of Pat’s life will take place later this year. Donations in her memory may be made to CoSA-Ottawa or to Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease research.