Patricia A. Kosiba's Obituary
It is with broken hearts that we announce that Patricia Kosiba, 84, passed away on December 11, 2016 at Largo Medical Center. Pat was a loving mother, sister and friend. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Born in Pennsylvania, her family moved to New Jersey where Pat grew up. She was a fashion model in New York and later met and married her first husband, Joseph Smith. They had 5 children together. In 1969 Pat and her family moved to Clearwater and purchased O’Keefe’s Restaurant. Pat later married Walter Kosiba, who was a Police Officer for the city of Clearwater.
While raising her family, Pat went to college at night, becoming first a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1972 and then a Registered Nurse in 1977. She went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from St. Leo’s College in 1985.
Pat enjoyed a long and successful career in nursing. She worked as a nurse at Morton Plant Hospital and Clearwater Community Hospital. Pat left the hospitals to work for a local orthopedic surgeon, Dr. John Barrett, at the Florida Knee and Orthopedic Center, where she worked for 30 years until her death. Pat truly found her calling at Florida Knee where she was passionate about helping and educating people with orthopedic injuries, working both in the medical office as well as giving seminars on orthopedic surgical procedures.
It was well known that Pat was an excellent cook and she loved to host parties in her home. Other passions included shopping on HSN and QVC, going to the Hospice resale shop to find “treasures” and spending time with her family, friends and 2 fur babies.
Pat is survived by her 5 children, Kathleen Long, Sheila Johnson, Sharon Davis, Donna Smith and David Smith, 4 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Pat also leaves behind 2 sisters, Eileen Dubs and Mary Ann Uher, numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.
A memorial mass will be held at St. Catherine’s of Sienna Catholic Church, Clearwater on February 16, 2017 at 11:00 AM. A reception will immediately follow the service.
Memorial donations in memory of Pat can be made to Clearwater Hospice http://www.thehospice.org/ , SPCA of Tampa Bay http://spcatampabay.org/ or the Humane Society of Pinellas http://www.humanesocietyofpinellas.org/.
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