Pat, I am so sorry to have to say goodbye to you.  You have taken a large part of my heart with you to heaven today.  I will greatly miss your warm heart, your easy laugh, and your strong spirit.  I will miss hearing about your life's accomplishments and sharing your zest for life.

You lived your life on Earth to the fullest and touched the hearts of all who ever had the privilege to know you.  I am a better person for being able to call you my friend, and I greatly look forward to seeing you again in eternity.  I hold on to this certainty, because you gave your soul to Christ - and Christ always keeps his promises!  Until we meet again...

As a small gesture of our love for you, Maria and I are dedicating this tribute page to you.  Pat, you will always be in both of our hearts and will remain a cherished part of our own family.  You will always matter, you will always be valued, and you will always be loved.  I am so thankful that we could talk on the phone and that you accepted Christ into your heart before you passed away.  God never lies and God ALWAYS keeps His promises.  You will forever be my friend and my Christian brother for eternity - I love you!

Pat Colecchio, Jersey City born, New York City reared, was the Association's manager for nearly twenty years.  He started his show business career shortly after the end of World War II. While still in his teens, he managed side show attractions for carnivals and fairs.  Next came promoting big bands for major ballrooms in the Metropolitan area.  During his lengthy career, Pat has mixed what has been called "Supersalesmanship" of all kinds with acting, television script writing, producing and directing plays, while also working on writing a novel in what little spare time he may have had.  Throughout it all, Pat has relied mostly on his "best bet" instincts, combined with an impulsive business manner and a "never say die" attitude to achieve a remarkable degree of success over his remarkable lifetime.