Patricia Ann (Duperry) Bayer, 83, formerly of Bristol, peacefully exhaled her final breath on Aug. 16 after one week of hospice care in Palm Coast, Fla. The dash between the years of 1940 – 2023 was quite an adventure!
Patricia was born on June 19, 1940, to the late Arsene and Winifred (Bouchard) Duperry of Bristol. She graduated from Bristol High School and was a longtime resident of Bristol. Patricia married Ernie, the love of her life, on Oct. 24, 1959, and they enjoyed 63 years of love and adventure together.
She was a joyful and loving mother to her four children: Jeffrey Bayer, Ernest Bayer, Jr, Kevin Bayer, and Wendy Bayer Dillon. She was also a loving and dedicated grandmother to Emily Mae Bayer, Alexia Bayer, Nicholas Bayer, Patrick Dillon and Rebecca Dillon.
Pat spent most of her life in Bristol where she worked for Superior Electric Company, Gems Sensors and Rowley Spring before retiring. After numerous summer vacations, Pat and Ernie took their family on a great adventure to Durango, Colo., where they lived for 4 ½ years (1974-78).
Pat loved Colorado, where she learned to ski, ride horses, and enjoyed the beauty of the mountains. There she reveled in her favorite job, next to being a mother and a grandmother: she was the head waitress for breakfast and lunch at the Durango Inn. But the Colorado dream slipped through their fingers and they decided to move their family back to Bristol in 1978.
For the next 38 years, Pat relished being closer to her extended family. She and Ernie continued their adventures as they visited their children in New Hampshire, Maine, Florida, Nevada, California, and Europe. Their anniversary travels included Bermuda, a Caribbean cruise, and Hawaii.
Then Ernest Jr. was stationed (as a priest) in Steamboat Springs, Colo. After a couple of visits there, Wendy’s family decided to move there, as well. Consequently in 2016, Pat and Ernie shocked everyone when they decided to take another adventure. They sold their house and moved to Steamboat Springs at the ages of 76 and 78! They were instantly adopted by the local Catholic parish and enjoyed six wonderful years in this mountain resort.
Then the dominos began to fall. Ernest Jr. was assigned to another parish in Denver. Ernie had an accidental fall which left him partially paralyzed, and he and Pat moved to a local care facility. While Pat adamantly told Ernie many times that he “better not go” before her, she was forced to accept his premature passing in December of 2022.
The following June, Wendy and John moved to Palm Coast, Fla., and Pat went with them on one more adventure. While her numerous health problems grew worse, she never stopped dreaming of her eventual reunion with Ernie in heaven. And two months later her dream came true.
Pat is survived by her children and grandchildren (mentioned above), sisters: Judie Duperry of Plainville and Joyce Bolduc of Bristol, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brothers Richard and Ronald Duperry.
Friends and relatives are invited to a wake at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, on Friday, Aug. 25, between 5 and 7 p.m. Everyone is also invited to a Funeral Mass for Pat on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. at St. Matthew Catholic Church, 120 Church Ave., Bristol. The Rite of Committal will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol.
Please visit Pat’s memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.
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