Patsy (Pat) DeVincent, 88, of Tucson, Arizona, passed away May 20, 2021.  He was born on March 14, 1933, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Celeste and Pasquale DeVincent.  Pat enjoyed playing basketball, bowling and handball at the YMCA, where he could be found every Saturday evening.  He was drafted into the Army and sent to Korea.  While serving there, a truce was signed and he continued his handball when off duty, where he entered and won the Far East Handball Tournament in Tokyo.

 

After returning home, Pat enrolled in an engineering course at Youngstown University while working as a machinist apprentice at Republic Steel.  During this time, he met and married Mary, and they had three children by the time he graduated.

 

Pat joined General Motors and moved his family to Dayton, Ohio, where they had three more children, and became active in the community and church.  They enjoyed their lives until retirement, when they moved to Ft. Myers Beach, Florida.  He also worked as a consultant for several years before becoming immersed in community politics, which included forming a civic association to give residents a voice to counter the realtors and county.  This was the beginning of their effort to incorporate the “Beach”.  The six previous attempts had failed, but this was successful, and the town of Ft. Myers Beach was born December 31, 1995.

 

He and Mary threw their efforts toward petitioning the state and Lee County to allow dogs an area to access water and to play off-leash.  They formed a group known as S.O.O.D.A, which was “Save Our Off-Leash Dog Area”.  It took one and a half years and another year of probation before “Dog Beach” became official.  It is a sand bar at New Pass near Bonita Springs, Florida.  This was the first area on the southern gulf coast that dogs were allowed in the water.

 

Mary and Pat enjoyed driving cross country to visit their scattered children and families.  Eventually, they decided to relocate to the Olympic peninsula in Washington state, where they enjoyed visiting Pacific beaches and the ability to walk their dog off-leash in many areas.

 

Pat developed some health problems, and a decision was made to move to Tucson, Arizona, where a daughter also lived, and the climate was better.

 

In May of this year, Pat’s heart let him know it was time to go.  He was home with his beloved wife, Mary, she was able to hold him as he left very peacefully.  She was grateful for being able to say goodbye at the end of the sixty-four unforgettable years together.  He used to say, “Every day is a blessing” and “I can’t believe all that we were able to do”.  Pat’s sister, Rose La Volpa, survives him in Youngstown, Ohio.  His six children are: Mary Turner (Arizona), Marc (Teri) DeVincent (North Carolina), Sabina (Mark) Shaneyfelt (Ohio), Valerie (Jeff) Kemmer (Washington) and David (Ohio).  

 

There are twelve grandchildren and seven “Greats”, numerous nieces, nephews, friends in various countries, as well as the states (Ohio, Florida, Washington and Arizona).

 

Pat is preceded in death by one child, Andrew; two sisters, Emma and Mary; and also four brothers, Vincent, Mario, Michael and Charles.

 

At a future date, there will be a celebration of the life of a man we were privileged to know and love.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to an animal rescue to help with the Western wild fire conditions.