Patricia Leona Ahern died peacefully at her home on Monday, Aug. 29, at the age of 89.
Patricia was born on her parents’ farm near Calumet, Okla., on April 14, 1927, the fourth of five daughters of Barney and Iva McCabe. Patricia also had an older brother, Tom. Her oldest sisters, Dorothy and Mildred, took care of her while her mother helped her father on the farm. Her sister Odelia was two years older than her, and her baby sister, Jean, came three years after “Patty Lee,” as she was known as a child. The trio were inseparable and played together constantly. Pat would recall how electricity came to the farm in 1937, but how she and her sisters cried because the workers had to cut down their beloved mulberry trees to install the wires.
Patricia went to a one-room schoolhouse, Mound Valley. It was built on an acre of ground that her paternal grandmother had deeded, and was a school her father had attended in the 1890s. The school was two miles from the farm, and Pat fondly remembered the imagination-filled walks to and from school, and the horseback rides to school when winter hit.
On Aug. 16, 1941, her parents had their 25th wedding anniversary. It was a nice party, and the family of her sister Mildred’s husband, Robert, came. Robert’s family was from a larger nearby town, El Reno, and Robert’s younger brother Bernard came to the party. It was the first time Pat remembers seeing the young man, Bernard, who would become her husband. They talked and laughed together seemingly all day, and at the end of the night, both agreed they were eager to see each other in the future. After graduating from the eighth grade at Mound Valley, Pat went to high school in Calumet. Pat was the sophomore class Homecoming princess in the fall of 1941. Bernard was a standout basketball player at Sacred Heart High School in El Reno, and Pat enjoyed attending his games. In the summer, Bernard would sometimes ride his bike the 22 miles from El Reno to the farm, to work some, but mainly to see Pat.
In the summer of ’42, they fell in love. Bernard enlisted in the Marines, and they planned to get married after the war. That fall, Pat moved to San Angelo, Texas, to help her sister, Mildred, with her growing family. Pat would finish high school there. She wrote Bernard every day, and he wrote back nearly as regular. One day, he sent money and told her buy an engagement ring, and admitted he’d won most of the money in a craps game. Pat graduated high school in May, 1944. She was concerned that she wasn’t getting as many letters from Bernard as she had been. On July 3, 1944, she was in El Reno with her best friend, when she told her that she suddenly felt a strong presence of Bernard near her. It chilled and scared her. It wasn’t until July 16, via telegram received by his parents, did Pat learn that, at about that exact same time she’d felt his presence on July 3, Bernard had been seriously wounded by artillery fire while fighting the Battle of Saipan. He nearly died at the age of 19.
Among the injuries were substantial damage to his chin and mouth. The young Marine was certain Pat would no longer want to marry him, but upon visiting him in the hospital in San Diego, she quickly put that concern to rest. The couple were married on Aug. 20, 1945.
They resided in El Reno, and both worked various jobs. In those early years, Bernard, at various times, owned a sporting goods store, drive-in restaurant, tavern, sold used cars and worked at a flour mill and coached his high school basketball team. The businesses found varying degrees of success and he found himself “too excitable” to be a coach (and referees likely agreed). Their first child, Linda, was born in 1947. A second, Robert, was born in 1948.
With consistent income a challenge in Oklahoma, the couple decided to follow the inspiration of Bernard’s younger brother, Ron, who had moved to Oregon. They went to Portland, but Bernard had trouble finding a job. Eventually, he learned about potential work at a store on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. He took the job, and the couple moved to Warm Spring in 1949. Both Pat and Barney worked at See’s Mercantile, and Barney especially discovered a knack for grocery store work. The young couple, initially very homesick for Oklahoma, would make many great friends and memories while in Warm Springs.
In 1951, illness in Bernard’s family prompted a move back to Oklahoma, to a town near El Reno called Concho. Bernard purchased a gas station but it wasn’t successful. In 1952, a third child was born, Shannon, named after Bernard’s brother who just previously died of tuberculosis. Later that year, the family moved back to Warm Springs and Bernard went back to working at See’s.
In 1955, the couple bought five acres of ground on the Agency Plains, and had a home built. They’d also had their fourth child, Laura. The post office at Warm Springs had changed to Macy’s store when Republican Ike Eisenhower became president in 1953. It impacted business at See’s severely. Bernard soon took a job at Safeway in Madras. It was there that he was first called Barney, a name that stuck. In February, 1956, they moved into their new home on the Plains, and in June, their fifth child, Mike, was born.
In 1957, Barney was transferred by Safeway to Pendleton and the family had to leave. They would eventually be transferred to Goldendale, Wash., and Baker. Pat had her sixth child, Daniel, in 1959 and her seventh and eighth, Jo Ann and Bernard Anthony (Tony), in 1961 and 1963, respectively. In 1963, Barney was transferred back to Madras to become a manager at the Madras store, and Pat was eager to come back to Jefferson County, where they spent so many great years and had many friends. They bought a home on Hillcrest Street in Madras.
In 1968, Pat and Barney made a risky decision. Barney left his job as Safeway manager and opened a convenience store at the north end of Madras, Ahern’s Stop ‘N Shop. They poured their hearts, souls and every last dollar into the venture, and created a true family business, as all the children still at home were provided every opportunity to work. From 1968 to 1981, Pat and Barney stayed very busy with the store (Pat did the bookkeeping and helped in many other ways), community and church activities, and watching the remaining six kids at home go through Madras schools, all active in sports and activities. Of their eight children, seven graduated from Madras High School, in various years from 1966 through 1981. Their eldest, Linda, graduated high school in Baker.
In the early 1980s, urged on by their son and store manager Mike, the Aherns remodeled and modernized the store and added a deli and fried chicken operation, the first of its kind in Madras. Many people fondly recall the giant deli sandwiches. In 1987, Pat and Barney sold the store to Mike and entered a life of retirement. They eventually sold their Hillcrest Street house and spent a few wonderful years at a second residence in Black Butte. But Madras was home. In 1993, they returned to town, having a house built in Ranchos. It was their last of many homes.
Pat stayed very active in her retirement, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, working her garden, playing cards, taking care of grand-children, walking with friends, and hosting hundreds of family gatherings large and small. She was a dedicated SMART reader. She and Barney did a lot of traveling, including a visit to Saipan. She was in book and garden clubs. Friendships, both new and old, were very important to Pat throughout her life, especially longtime dear friends Issie Wilson and Shirley Rogers, who both passed before her. Though she battled heart issues, Pat was blessed with generally good health until her final weeks.
Barney died in 2011. Pat is survived by her sister, Jean, of Yukon, Okla., and her sister-in-law Donna Ahern, of Madras. She was also very close to three of her nieces who lived in Madras, Patty, Mary and Martha Ahern. She is survived by all of her eight children: Linda Selto (and husband Frank, of Boulder, Colo.); Robert Ahern (and wife Lois, of Redmond); Shannon Ahern (and wife Kathy, of Spokane, Wash.,); Laura Fuentes (and husband Willy of San Diego, Calif.); Mike Ahern (and wife Jane, of Madras); Daniel Ahern (and wife Fran Moses-Ahern, of Madras); Jo Ann Berning (and husband Terry, of Silverton); and Tony Ahern (and wife Shannan, of Madras).
She was also very proud of her 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at her beloved St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, followed by interment at Mt. Jefferson Memorial Park, next to her husband.
The Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial Scholarship fund, which will annually help a college-bound Madras High School graduate, has been established. Any memoriam contributions would be greatly appreciated. To contribute, send a check to Jefferson County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 16, Madras, OR 97741, with Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial fund in the memo line.
Patricia was born on her parents’ farm near Calumet, Okla., on April 14, 1927, the fourth of five daughters of Barney and Iva McCabe. Patricia also had an older brother, Tom. Her oldest sisters, Dorothy and Mildred, took care of her while her mother helped her father on the farm. Her sister Odelia was two years older than her, and her baby sister, Jean, came three years after “Patty Lee,” as she was known as a child. The trio were inseparable and played together constantly. Pat would recall how electricity came to the farm in 1937, but how she and her sisters cried because the workers had to cut down their beloved mulberry trees to install the wires.
Patricia went to a one-room schoolhouse, Mound Valley. It was built on an acre of ground that her paternal grandmother had deeded, and was a school her father had attended in the 1890s. The school was two miles from the farm, and Pat fondly remembered the imagination-filled walks to and from school, and the horseback rides to school when winter hit.
On Aug. 16, 1941, her parents had their 25th wedding anniversary. It was a nice party, and the family of her sister Mildred’s husband, Robert, came. Robert’s family was from a larger nearby town, El Reno, and Robert’s younger brother Bernard came to the party. It was the first time Pat remembers seeing the young man, Bernard, who would become her husband. They talked and laughed together seemingly all day, and at the end of the night, both agreed they were eager to see each other in the future. After graduating from the eighth grade at Mound Valley, Pat went to high school in Calumet. Pat was the sophomore class Homecoming princess in the fall of 1941. Bernard was a standout basketball player at Sacred Heart High School in El Reno, and Pat enjoyed attending his games. In the summer, Bernard would sometimes ride his bike the 22 miles from El Reno to the farm, to work some, but mainly to see Pat.
In the summer of ’42, they fell in love. Bernard enlisted in the Marines, and they planned to get married after the war. That fall, Pat moved to San Angelo, Texas, to help her sister, Mildred, with her growing family. Pat would finish high school there. She wrote Bernard every day, and he wrote back nearly as regular. One day, he sent money and told her buy an engagement ring, and admitted he’d won most of the money in a craps game. Pat graduated high school in May, 1944. She was concerned that she wasn’t getting as many letters from Bernard as she had been. On July 3, 1944, she was in El Reno with her best friend, when she told her that she suddenly felt a strong presence of Bernard near her. It chilled and scared her. It wasn’t until July 16, via telegram received by his parents, did Pat learn that, at about that exact same time she’d felt his presence on July 3, Bernard had been seriously wounded by artillery fire while fighting the Battle of Saipan. He nearly died at the age of 19.
Among the injuries were substantial damage to his chin and mouth. The young Marine was certain Pat would no longer want to marry him, but upon visiting him in the hospital in San Diego, she quickly put that concern to rest. The couple were married on Aug. 20, 1945.
They resided in El Reno, and both worked various jobs. In those early years, Bernard, at various times, owned a sporting goods store, drive-in restaurant, tavern, sold used cars and worked at a flour mill and coached his high school basketball team. The businesses found varying degrees of success and he found himself “too excitable” to be a coach (and referees likely agreed). Their first child, Linda, was born in 1947. A second, Robert, was born in 1948.
With consistent income a challenge in Oklahoma, the couple decided to follow the inspiration of Bernard’s younger brother, Ron, who had moved to Oregon. They went to Portland, but Bernard had trouble finding a job. Eventually, he learned about potential work at a store on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. He took the job, and the couple moved to Warm Spring in 1949. Both Pat and Barney worked at See’s Mercantile, and Barney especially discovered a knack for grocery store work. The young couple, initially very homesick for Oklahoma, would make many great friends and memories while in Warm Springs.
In 1951, illness in Bernard’s family prompted a move back to Oklahoma, to a town near El Reno called Concho. Bernard purchased a gas station but it wasn’t successful. In 1952, a third child was born, Shannon, named after Bernard’s brother who just previously died of tuberculosis. Later that year, the family moved back to Warm Springs and Bernard went back to working at See’s.
In 1955, the couple bought five acres of ground on the Agency Plains, and had a home built. They’d also had their fourth child, Laura. The post office at Warm Springs had changed to Macy’s store when Republican Ike Eisenhower became president in 1953. It impacted business at See’s severely. Bernard soon took a job at Safeway in Madras. It was there that he was first called Barney, a name that stuck. In February, 1956, they moved into their new home on the Plains, and in June, their fifth child, Mike, was born.
In 1957, Barney was transferred by Safeway to Pendleton and the family had to leave. They would eventually be transferred to Goldendale, Wash., and Baker. Pat had her sixth child, Daniel, in 1959 and her seventh and eighth, Jo Ann and Bernard Anthony (Tony), in 1961 and 1963, respectively. In 1963, Barney was transferred back to Madras to become a manager at the Madras store, and Pat was eager to come back to Jefferson County, where they spent so many great years and had many friends. They bought a home on Hillcrest Street in Madras.
In 1968, Pat and Barney made a risky decision. Barney left his job as Safeway manager and opened a convenience store at the north end of Madras, Ahern’s Stop ‘N Shop. They poured their hearts, souls and every last dollar into the venture, and created a true family business, as all the children still at home were provided every opportunity to work. From 1968 to 1981, Pat and Barney stayed very busy with the store (Pat did the bookkeeping and helped in many other ways), community and church activities, and watching the remaining six kids at home go through Madras schools, all active in sports and activities. Of their eight children, seven graduated from Madras High School, in various years from 1966 through 1981. Their eldest, Linda, graduated high school in Baker.
In the early 1980s, urged on by their son and store manager Mike, the Aherns remodeled and modernized the store and added a deli and fried chicken operation, the first of its kind in Madras. Many people fondly recall the giant deli sandwiches. In 1987, Pat and Barney sold the store to Mike and entered a life of retirement. They eventually sold their Hillcrest Street house and spent a few wonderful years at a second residence in Black Butte. But Madras was home. In 1993, they returned to town, having a house built in Ranchos. It was their last of many homes.
Pat stayed very active in her retirement, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, working her garden, playing cards, taking care of grand-children, walking with friends, and hosting hundreds of family gatherings large and small. She was a dedicated SMART reader. She and Barney did a lot of traveling, including a visit to Saipan. She was in book and garden clubs. Friendships, both new and old, were very important to Pat throughout her life, especially longtime dear friends Issie Wilson and Shirley Rogers, who both passed before her. Though she battled heart issues, Pat was blessed with generally good health until her final weeks.
Barney died in 2011. Pat is survived by her sister, Jean, of Yukon, Okla., and her sister-in-law Donna Ahern, of Madras. She was also very close to three of her nieces who lived in Madras, Patty, Mary and Martha Ahern. She is survived by all of her eight children: Linda Selto (and husband Frank, of Boulder, Colo.); Robert Ahern (and wife Lois, of Redmond); Shannon Ahern (and wife Kathy, of Spokane, Wash.,); Laura Fuentes (and husband Willy of San Diego, Calif.); Mike Ahern (and wife Jane, of Madras); Daniel Ahern (and wife Fran Moses-Ahern, of Madras); Jo Ann Berning (and husband Terry, of Silverton); and Tony Ahern (and wife Shannan, of Madras).
She was also very proud of her 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at her beloved St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, followed by interment at Mt. Jefferson Memorial Park, next to her husband.
The Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial Scholarship fund, which will annually help a college-bound Madras High School graduate, has been established. Any memoriam contributions would be greatly appreciated. To contribute, send a check to Jefferson County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 16, Madras, OR 97741, with Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial fund in the memo line.
Patricia Leona Ahern died peacefully at her home on Monday, Aug. 29, at the age of 89.
Patricia was born on her parents’ farm near Calumet, Okla., on April 14, 1927, the fourth of five daughters of Barney and Iva McCabe. Patricia also had an older brother, Tom. Her oldest sisters, Dorothy and Mildred, took care of her while her mother helped her father on the farm. Her sister Odelia was two years older than her, and her baby sister, Jean, came three years after “Patty Lee,” as she was known as a child. The trio were inseparable and played together constantly. Pat would recall how electricity came to the farm in 1937, but how she and her sisters cried because the workers had to cut down their beloved mulberry trees to install the wires.
Patricia went to a one-room schoolhouse, Mound Valley. It was built on an acre of ground that her paternal grandmother had deeded, and was a school her father had attended in the 1890s. The school was two miles from the farm, and Pat fondly remembered the imagination-filled walks to and from school, and the horseback rides to school when winter hit.
On Aug. 16, 1941, her parents had their 25th wedding anniversary. It was a nice party, and the family of her sister Mildred’s husband, Robert, came. Robert’s family was from a larger nearby town, El Reno, and Robert’s younger brother Bernard came to the party. It was the first time Pat remembers seeing the young man, Bernard, who would become her husband. They talked and laughed together seemingly all day, and at the end of the night, both agreed they were eager to see each other in the future. After graduating from the eighth grade at Mound Valley, Pat went to high school in Calumet. Pat was the sophomore class Homecoming princess in the fall of 1941. Bernard was a standout basketball player at Sacred Heart High School in El Reno, and Pat enjoyed attending his games. In the summer, Bernard would sometimes ride his bike the 22 miles from El Reno to the farm, to work some, but mainly to see Pat.
In the summer of ’42, they fell in love. Bernard enlisted in the Marines, and they planned to get married after the war. That fall, Pat moved to San Angelo, Texas, to help her sister, Mildred, with her growing family. Pat would finish high school there. She wrote Bernard every day, and he wrote back nearly as regular. One day, he sent money and told her buy an engagement ring, and admitted he’d won most of the money in a craps game. Pat graduated high school in May, 1944. She was concerned that she wasn’t getting as many letters from Bernard as she had been. On July 3, 1944, she was in El Reno with her best friend, when she told her that she suddenly felt a strong presence of Bernard near her. It chilled and scared her. It wasn’t until July 16, via telegram received by his parents, did Pat learn that, at about that exact same time she’d felt his presence on July 3, Bernard had been seriously wounded by artillery fire while fighting the Battle of Saipan. He nearly died at the age of 19.
Among the injuries were substantial damage to his chin and mouth. The young Marine was certain Pat would no longer want to marry him, but upon visiting him in the hospital in San Diego, she quickly put that concern to rest. The couple were married on Aug. 20, 1945.
They resided in El Reno, and both worked various jobs. In those early years, Bernard, at various times, owned a sporting goods store, drive-in restaurant, tavern, sold used cars and worked at a flour mill and coached his high school basketball team. The businesses found varying degrees of success and he found himself “too excitable” to be a coach (and referees likely agreed). Their first child, Linda, was born in 1947. A second, Robert, was born in 1948.
With consistent income a challenge in Oklahoma, the couple decided to follow the inspiration of Bernard’s younger brother, Ron, who had moved to Oregon. They went to Portland, but Bernard had trouble finding a job. Eventually, he learned about potential work at a store on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. He took the job, and the couple moved to Warm Spring in 1949. Both Pat and Barney worked at See’s Mercantile, and Barney especially discovered a knack for grocery store work. The young couple, initially very homesick for Oklahoma, would make many great friends and memories while in Warm Springs.
In 1951, illness in Bernard’s family prompted a move back to Oklahoma, to a town near El Reno called Concho. Bernard purchased a gas station but it wasn’t successful. In 1952, a third child was born, Shannon, named after Bernard’s brother who just previously died of tuberculosis. Later that year, the family moved back to Warm Springs and Bernard went back to working at See’s.
In 1955, the couple bought five acres of ground on the Agency Plains, and had a home built. They’d also had their fourth child, Laura. The post office at Warm Springs had changed to Macy’s store when Republican Ike Eisenhower became president in 1953. It impacted business at See’s severely. Bernard soon took a job at Safeway in Madras. It was there that he was first called Barney, a name that stuck. In February, 1956, they moved into their new home on the Plains, and in June, their fifth child, Mike, was born.
In 1957, Barney was transferred by Safeway to Pendleton and the family had to leave. They would eventually be transferred to Goldendale, Wash., and Baker. Pat had her sixth child, Daniel, in 1959 and her seventh and eighth, Jo Ann and Bernard Anthony (Tony), in 1961 and 1963, respectively. In 1963, Barney was transferred back to Madras to become a manager at the Madras store, and Pat was eager to come back to Jefferson County, where they spent so many great years and had many friends. They bought a home on Hillcrest Street in Madras.
In 1968, Pat and Barney made a risky decision. Barney left his job as Safeway manager and opened a convenience store at the north end of Madras, Ahern’s Stop ‘N Shop. They poured their hearts, souls and every last dollar into the venture, and created a true family business, as all the children still at home were provided every opportunity to work. From 1968 to 1981, Pat and Barney stayed very busy with the store (Pat did the bookkeeping and helped in many other ways), community and church activities, and watching the remaining six kids at home go through Madras schools, all active in sports and activities. Of their eight children, seven graduated from Madras High School, in various years from 1966 through 1981. Their eldest, Linda, graduated high school in Baker.
In the early 1980s, urged on by their son and store manager Mike, the Aherns remodeled and modernized the store and added a deli and fried chicken operation, the first of its kind in Madras. Many people fondly recall the giant deli sandwiches. In 1987, Pat and Barney sold the store to Mike and entered a life of retirement. They eventually sold their Hillcrest Street house and spent a few wonderful years at a second residence in Black Butte. But Madras was home. In 1993, they returned to town, having a house built in Ranchos. It was their last of many homes.
Pat stayed very active in her retirement, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, working her garden, playing cards, taking care of grand-children, walking with friends, and hosting hundreds of family gatherings large and small. She was a dedicated SMART reader. She and Barney did a lot of traveling, including a visit to Saipan. She was in book and garden clubs. Friendships, both new and old, were very important to Pat throughout her life, especially longtime dear friends Issie Wilson and Shirley Rogers, who both passed before her. Though she battled heart issues, Pat was blessed with generally good health until her final weeks.
Barney died in 2011. Pat is survived by her sister, Jean, of Yukon, Okla., and her sister-in-law Donna Ahern, of Madras. She was also very close to three of her nieces who lived in Madras, Patty, Mary and Martha Ahern. She is survived by all of her eight children: Linda Selto (and husband Frank, of Boulder, Colo.); Robert Ahern (and wife Lois, of Redmond); Shannon Ahern (and wife Kathy, of Spokane, Wash.,); Laura Fuentes (and husband Willy of San Diego, Calif.); Mike Ahern (and wife Jane, of Madras); Daniel Ahern (and wife Fran Moses-Ahern, of Madras); Jo Ann Berning (and husband Terry, of Silverton); and Tony Ahern (and wife Shannan, of Madras).
She was also very proud of her 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at her beloved St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, followed by interment at Mt. Jefferson Memorial Park, next to her husband.
The Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial Scholarship fund, which will annually help a college-bound Madras High School graduate, has been established. Any memoriam contributions would be greatly appreciated. To contribute, send a check to Jefferson County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 16, Madras, OR 97741, with Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial fund in the memo line.
Patricia was born on her parents’ farm near Calumet, Okla., on April 14, 1927, the fourth of five daughters of Barney and Iva McCabe. Patricia also had an older brother, Tom. Her oldest sisters, Dorothy and Mildred, took care of her while her mother helped her father on the farm. Her sister Odelia was two years older than her, and her baby sister, Jean, came three years after “Patty Lee,” as she was known as a child. The trio were inseparable and played together constantly. Pat would recall how electricity came to the farm in 1937, but how she and her sisters cried because the workers had to cut down their beloved mulberry trees to install the wires.
Patricia went to a one-room schoolhouse, Mound Valley. It was built on an acre of ground that her paternal grandmother had deeded, and was a school her father had attended in the 1890s. The school was two miles from the farm, and Pat fondly remembered the imagination-filled walks to and from school, and the horseback rides to school when winter hit.
On Aug. 16, 1941, her parents had their 25th wedding anniversary. It was a nice party, and the family of her sister Mildred’s husband, Robert, came. Robert’s family was from a larger nearby town, El Reno, and Robert’s younger brother Bernard came to the party. It was the first time Pat remembers seeing the young man, Bernard, who would become her husband. They talked and laughed together seemingly all day, and at the end of the night, both agreed they were eager to see each other in the future. After graduating from the eighth grade at Mound Valley, Pat went to high school in Calumet. Pat was the sophomore class Homecoming princess in the fall of 1941. Bernard was a standout basketball player at Sacred Heart High School in El Reno, and Pat enjoyed attending his games. In the summer, Bernard would sometimes ride his bike the 22 miles from El Reno to the farm, to work some, but mainly to see Pat.
In the summer of ’42, they fell in love. Bernard enlisted in the Marines, and they planned to get married after the war. That fall, Pat moved to San Angelo, Texas, to help her sister, Mildred, with her growing family. Pat would finish high school there. She wrote Bernard every day, and he wrote back nearly as regular. One day, he sent money and told her buy an engagement ring, and admitted he’d won most of the money in a craps game. Pat graduated high school in May, 1944. She was concerned that she wasn’t getting as many letters from Bernard as she had been. On July 3, 1944, she was in El Reno with her best friend, when she told her that she suddenly felt a strong presence of Bernard near her. It chilled and scared her. It wasn’t until July 16, via telegram received by his parents, did Pat learn that, at about that exact same time she’d felt his presence on July 3, Bernard had been seriously wounded by artillery fire while fighting the Battle of Saipan. He nearly died at the age of 19.
Among the injuries were substantial damage to his chin and mouth. The young Marine was certain Pat would no longer want to marry him, but upon visiting him in the hospital in San Diego, she quickly put that concern to rest. The couple were married on Aug. 20, 1945.
They resided in El Reno, and both worked various jobs. In those early years, Bernard, at various times, owned a sporting goods store, drive-in restaurant, tavern, sold used cars and worked at a flour mill and coached his high school basketball team. The businesses found varying degrees of success and he found himself “too excitable” to be a coach (and referees likely agreed). Their first child, Linda, was born in 1947. A second, Robert, was born in 1948.
With consistent income a challenge in Oklahoma, the couple decided to follow the inspiration of Bernard’s younger brother, Ron, who had moved to Oregon. They went to Portland, but Bernard had trouble finding a job. Eventually, he learned about potential work at a store on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. He took the job, and the couple moved to Warm Spring in 1949. Both Pat and Barney worked at See’s Mercantile, and Barney especially discovered a knack for grocery store work. The young couple, initially very homesick for Oklahoma, would make many great friends and memories while in Warm Springs.
In 1951, illness in Bernard’s family prompted a move back to Oklahoma, to a town near El Reno called Concho. Bernard purchased a gas station but it wasn’t successful. In 1952, a third child was born, Shannon, named after Bernard’s brother who just previously died of tuberculosis. Later that year, the family moved back to Warm Springs and Bernard went back to working at See’s.
In 1955, the couple bought five acres of ground on the Agency Plains, and had a home built. They’d also had their fourth child, Laura. The post office at Warm Springs had changed to Macy’s store when Republican Ike Eisenhower became president in 1953. It impacted business at See’s severely. Bernard soon took a job at Safeway in Madras. It was there that he was first called Barney, a name that stuck. In February, 1956, they moved into their new home on the Plains, and in June, their fifth child, Mike, was born.
In 1957, Barney was transferred by Safeway to Pendleton and the family had to leave. They would eventually be transferred to Goldendale, Wash., and Baker. Pat had her sixth child, Daniel, in 1959 and her seventh and eighth, Jo Ann and Bernard Anthony (Tony), in 1961 and 1963, respectively. In 1963, Barney was transferred back to Madras to become a manager at the Madras store, and Pat was eager to come back to Jefferson County, where they spent so many great years and had many friends. They bought a home on Hillcrest Street in Madras.
In 1968, Pat and Barney made a risky decision. Barney left his job as Safeway manager and opened a convenience store at the north end of Madras, Ahern’s Stop ‘N Shop. They poured their hearts, souls and every last dollar into the venture, and created a true family business, as all the children still at home were provided every opportunity to work. From 1968 to 1981, Pat and Barney stayed very busy with the store (Pat did the bookkeeping and helped in many other ways), community and church activities, and watching the remaining six kids at home go through Madras schools, all active in sports and activities. Of their eight children, seven graduated from Madras High School, in various years from 1966 through 1981. Their eldest, Linda, graduated high school in Baker.
In the early 1980s, urged on by their son and store manager Mike, the Aherns remodeled and modernized the store and added a deli and fried chicken operation, the first of its kind in Madras. Many people fondly recall the giant deli sandwiches. In 1987, Pat and Barney sold the store to Mike and entered a life of retirement. They eventually sold their Hillcrest Street house and spent a few wonderful years at a second residence in Black Butte. But Madras was home. In 1993, they returned to town, having a house built in Ranchos. It was their last of many homes.
Pat stayed very active in her retirement, cross-country skiing, hiking, swimming, working her garden, playing cards, taking care of grand-children, walking with friends, and hosting hundreds of family gatherings large and small. She was a dedicated SMART reader. She and Barney did a lot of traveling, including a visit to Saipan. She was in book and garden clubs. Friendships, both new and old, were very important to Pat throughout her life, especially longtime dear friends Issie Wilson and Shirley Rogers, who both passed before her. Though she battled heart issues, Pat was blessed with generally good health until her final weeks.
Barney died in 2011. Pat is survived by her sister, Jean, of Yukon, Okla., and her sister-in-law Donna Ahern, of Madras. She was also very close to three of her nieces who lived in Madras, Patty, Mary and Martha Ahern. She is survived by all of her eight children: Linda Selto (and husband Frank, of Boulder, Colo.); Robert Ahern (and wife Lois, of Redmond); Shannon Ahern (and wife Kathy, of Spokane, Wash.,); Laura Fuentes (and husband Willy of San Diego, Calif.); Mike Ahern (and wife Jane, of Madras); Daniel Ahern (and wife Fran Moses-Ahern, of Madras); Jo Ann Berning (and husband Terry, of Silverton); and Tony Ahern (and wife Shannan, of Madras).
She was also very proud of her 22 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial was held at her beloved St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, on Friday, Sept. 2, 2016, followed by interment at Mt. Jefferson Memorial Park, next to her husband.
The Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial Scholarship fund, which will annually help a college-bound Madras High School graduate, has been established. Any memoriam contributions would be greatly appreciated. To contribute, send a check to Jefferson County Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 16, Madras, OR 97741, with Barney and Pat Ahern Memorial fund in the memo line.
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