Patrick Columbanus "Pat" Flood

Patrick "Pat" Columbanus Flood, 76, passed away on April 14, at Rivercrest Long Term Care Facility in Concord, Mass.

Born in Kells, County Meath, Patrick was the son of Thomas and Margaret (Olohan) Flood. His two brothers, Joseph and Michael predeceased him. Pat is survived by his sister-in-law, Ginnie Flood; his nephew, John Flood & his wife, Lilly; his niece, Valerie Tripp, & her husband, William; his nieces, Dorothy Granat and Joy Flood, another nephew in London, Aidan Flood; four grandnieces and nephews as well as the monks of Saint Benedict Abbey in Still River where he lived and entertained for the last twenty five years.

Trained as an accountant, Pat first lived and worked in banking in Canada before settling in Maynard, Mass. in 1955. He continued in banking in Waltham, and later, from 1982-1994 he was the Credit Manager for Thomas Taylor & Sons, in Hudson. In December, 1981, he and his 90 year old mother, came to Saint Benedict Abbey, planning to stay for two weeks. His mother died there a year later, and Pat extended his visit another twenty four years. He was a daily communicant. For many of those years he was the voice of Saint Benedict Abbey, working as the porter, greeting visitors who came to the door or called on the telephone to the Abbey. He was also in many ways the face of the Abbey as the shopper. His engaging manner and Irish humor made him unforgettable. In fact, he remained an Irish citizen his whole life. At the Abbey and elsewhere, his storytelling was legendary and some of the stories may even have been true. Patrick expanded his already wide circle of friends spending six weeks in the Scottish Highlands in 2002 and eight weeks traveling the entire length of New Zealand just last year.

His wake will be held at Saint Benedict Abbey, 252 Still River Road (Route 110), in Still River (Harvard) on Monday, April 16 from 2-5 p.m. and 7-10 p.m. His funeral Mass will be offered in the Abbey Chapel on April 17 at 11:00 a.m. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat's memory may be made to Saint Benedict Abbey, P.O. Box 67, Still River, MA 01467. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Hamilton-McGaffigan Funeral Home, Main St., Pepperell, MA 01463.