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Patrick O'Shea

Patrick O’Shea was an Irish immigrant and retired welder from County Cork who lived in Boston with his wife, Eileen O’Shea. The couple immigrated in 1968 and raised their children in the Boston area. Patrick and Eileen later became friends of Alastair Hargreaves and Siobhan Hargreaves.

Background and Immigration

Patrick was born in County Cork around 1928. He and Eileen immigrated to Boston in 1968 and remained there while raising their family.

Patrick worked as a welder for nearly forty years. By his late seventies, decades of manual labor had contributed to substantial fatigue and physical wear.

Marriage and Family

Patrick was thirteen years older than Eileen. They met around 1957, when she was sixteen and he was twenty-nine, but he refused to pursue a romantic relationship until she was nineteen. They began dating around 1960, later married, moved to Boston, and raised children in New England.

Their children included twins Liam and Lilian, known as Lily. Liam was carefree, mischievous, and tenderhearted. He died in a car accident at age twenty-one; Lily survived him and remained part of Patrick and Eileen’s life.

Health and Mobility

Patrick received a pacemaker around 2005, before the late-2006 flight on which he met the Hargreaves family.

He also lived with arthritis and chronic fatigue. Arthritis affected his hands and made extended walking difficult, and he used a walking stick. His body no longer supported all the repair work and manual projects he still attempted to undertake.

Patrick used evening medication for his arthritis and pain, which could leave him sleeping heavily for twelve hours. A doctor also prescribed CPAP, but Patrick rarely used it because he could not tolerate the mask on his face.

Friendship with the Hargreaves Family

Main article: Flight to Boston (Late 2006)

Patrick and Eileen met Alastair and Siobhan on a transatlantic flight in late 2006. The O’Sheas already lived in Boston and were returning from a visit with relatives in England; Alastair and Siobhan were moving to the Boston area.

The two couples remained friends after the flight. Alastair reminded Patrick of Liam, especially in the quiet effort with which both men tried to keep others from worrying when they were in pain. During Alastair’s February 2011 hospitalization, the O’Shea family provided practical support. Eileen brought food and checked on Siobhan, while Lily O’Shea helped care for Charlotte Hargreaves and Catherine Hargreaves.

Memorable Quotes

“Creaking with dignity. I earned every one of these aches hauling you across oceans and raising those hooligans we call children.”—To Eileen during the 2006 flight

“I love you more than life itself.”—His customary declaration to Eileen

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Irish Characters Disabled Characters Chronic Illness Characters Mobility Disabilities O'Shea Family