Patricia Crain was born July 14, 1927 to Barton Phillips Crain, an electrician, and Elsie Gifford, a surgical nurse at Saint Luke’s Hospital. She passed away on May 16, 2023.
Pat’s father died of typhoid when she was 5 months old, and her mother moved back in with her family.
A true Chagrin native, Pat lived in her grandfather’s home at 379 Bell St., graduating as valedictorian of the Chagrin Falls High School Class of 1945.
Pat met her first husband, Ernest Bucher, at The Ohio State University, and they built a home on Fairview Road in South Russell Village to raise their sons, Phil and Paul.
Pat received her B.S. from Kent State University and her M.A. from John Carroll University. She began teaching in the West Geauga school system in 1955 and, after the death of her husband Ernest, later married fellow teacher Wayne Hosmer, her husband of 57 years.
Pat taught at Hawken School from 1970-1990 and was named a Hawken Fellow after her retirement.
Pat and Wayne loved to travel, visiting all 50 states and over 60 countries on six continents.
Pat was a direct descendant of Gautier (Walter) Giffard, Lord of Longueville, who was one of 15 documented companions of William the Conqueror when he invaded England in 1066. Members of his family eventually emigrated to Ohio in 1851-56.
Pat was a lifetime member of the Chagrin Falls United Methodist Church, where she served on many committees and as President of United Methodist Women.
She was a life member of Kappa Delta Pi education sorority, a donor of over 120 pints of blood, a member of the Geauga League of Women Voters, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Hemlock Society, Amnesty International, World Wildlife and American Friends of Canterbury Cathedral.
She tutored for Project Learn and the Geauga County jail, and was a longtime volunteer at Geauga Hospital and Habitat for Humanity. Pat knitted over 5,300 pairs of mittens for the May Dugan Center.
Pat is survived by her sons, Phil (Susan) Bucher and Paul (Dorothy) Bucher; daughter, Elizabeth (Laura); granddaughter, Keana (Morgan) Meyer; great-grandchildren, Katharine, Elizabeth and Asher Meyer; as well as several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Ernest and Wayne; parents, Barton and Elsie Crain; and grandson, Paul Bucher.
A memorial service will be held at The Chagrin Falls United Methodist Church, 20 S. Franklin St., on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 11 a.m.
Gifts in Pat’s memory may be donated to the DDC Clinic for Special Needs, 14567 Madison Road, Middlefield, OH 44062.
The post Patricia Crain Hosmer first appeared on Geauga County Maple Leaf.