Black forest Golf outing - Oct 1

  On the second anniversary of Pat’s death, a small group of community members gathered at the Black Forest to reflect on what Take a Lap has accomplished, where we hope to go, and share our favorite stories of Pat. We heard from Dennis Rahill (Pat’s brother) about what led to the start of the Take a Lap Foundation, and Maggie Rahill (Pat’s youngest daughter) about all the foundation has accomplished in 9 short months of operation, and everywhere the organization plans on going. Included is a short presentation which you can view that was given on the night of recap the lap. Following the presentation were games, good food provided by the Holiday Grill, lots of laughs and memories shared as we remembered Pat. To end the night, the foundation received word of an anonymous donation of $50,000 in stocks to ensure the longevity of the foundation for years to come. It was a beautiful night of love and healing that reminded us all why we are so passionate about continuing the legacy of Pat through the work of the Take a Lap Foundation. 

Wow! There may not be enough words to describe the wonder of Take A Lap’s kick off event - a celebration of the life of Pat Rahill held on July 24, 2021. 

The day started at St. Ann’s Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and a bagpiper playing the hauntingly beautiful Amazing Grace. A memorial mass, in honor of Pat, was held. Pat died in March of 2020, and yet, the church was packed. Special thanks to Fr. Matt Cortnik who reminded us all that it is the dash, that time in between our date of birth and our date of death, no matter what the length of our life is, that really matters. Based on the number of people who have spoken to us about the impact Pat had on their lives, we’d have to say he lived his dash pretty darn well! We were led out of church with a heartwarming bagpiping rendition of When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, which even the misty rain that was falling couldn’t dampen our spirits.

The rain did not hang around for long and the afternoon was perfect. Over 400 people attended the next part of our celebration at Wiegand Lake Park in Novelty, Ohio. It was a perfect afternoon. The festivities went from noon until 7 and included everything from horseshoes to paddleboats to corn hole to swings to whiffle ball and more. If you were bored, you were asleep. There was plenty of food and beverages, including an adult beverages. If you were hungry or thirsty, you were not looking for food or drink.  Family pictures were taken (including by drone (it’s kind of hard to get 80 plus people in one shot!)), old friends were able to catch up with one another, new friends were made and the day was a rousing success. The team at Wiegand’s was great – big shout out to them.

Brief (in some case) speeches were made about Pat and the impact he had on the lives of people around him. Individuals, representing different aspects of Pat’s life, provided different insights; yet, common, over-arching themes definitely emerged.  The first can be summarized in a word used by Pat’s brother-in-law, Mike Krebs. Mudita is a Sanskrit word meaning pure joy that is unencumbered by any sort of self-interest; delighting in others success. Pat was a selfless guy – and our speakers wanted to make sure we remembered that about him.  He truly took delight in the accomplishments of others. He reached out to acknowledge others achievements, knew how to build people up and make them feel good about themselves, had a knack for finding that kid who just needed a little encouragement to succeed, and was genuinely happy for other people’s happiness. Pat exuded joy.

Pat’s love and devotion for his wife, Katie, and children, Patrick, Kelsey and Margaret, was an equally important over-arching theme frequently mentioned. He never missed an opportunity to share their latest success or just simply express, in the least mushy but undeniably clearest manner, how much he loved them and believed he hit the jackpot by having them in his life. 

There were many common themes, and that’s were this event summary could go on and on. We will sum up the speaker’s comments with Miss Emily’s sentiment, also shared by all in attendance. “Pat Rahill – inside your heart is pure love…..we miss you sooooooooo much.”

This grand day – full of mixed emotions for most of us – gave us the opportunity to roll out the Take A Lap foundation for the first time. There is more to come; we are just getting started.  We are excited to share this foundation with you and hope you join us in keeping the spirit of Big Pat alive by participating in upcoming events and supporting upcoming causes. As our first event came to a close, we couldn’t help but believe that Pat was smiling down at us with that wild dog grin of his whispering….wait – he didn’t whisper – shouting – RIGHT ON BROTHER – RIGHT ON.