In less than 10 months, I lost two brothers. My oldest brother Arthur and Pat Mc Mahon....
I met Pat when I moved from the flats to South 17th Street the summer before 6th grade. He lived just a few houses up the hill from me and we became friends immediately.
Like most kids at that age, we had a group of friends from the neighborhood that hung out after school riding bikes, playing football and just being a kid.
In junior high, we play cards on Friday nights and bowling on Saturday mornings.
In 9th grade, Pat, Carwyn Hovden and I had every class together, skipped school together, and served in school suspension together. A story for another time.
When we turned 16 and got our driver’s license, we drove all over the state. From Des Moines to see our first concert STYX, to Rutland to swim in the quarries, every weekend was a blast.
In 10th grade, Dave Smith helped Pat and I get a job at Pizza Hut and soon we became Assistant Managers. We had some great times at Pizza Hut. We would often meet up after closing and have a pizza and beer, play space invaders and Pac Man. When we were seniors in high school, Pat and I were recruited by a former manager, to open a Paul Reveres pizza in the Last Chance Saloon. We were the only two employees.
After high school, Pat enrolled in the Drafting Program at Iowa Central Community College before transferring to UNI. After graduating from UNI, he was offered a job at Vistawall Architectural Products in Terrill, Texas.
Mark Ewing, Pat and Tony Schleisman were the first ones to move to Texas and then Jon. I moved to Austin 6 months later.
We had a lot of good times after moving to Texas. One of the best times was when a group of us all went to Farm Aid 2 at Manor Down in 1986. Pat came to Austin, and we made trashcan punch when he got there at 2am. We decided to throw a bunch of fruit in the cooler with the punch so we would have something to eat later in the morning.
The gates opened at 6:00 am and the festival started at 7:30 am. Box Car Willie was the opening act, and we were all hammered from eating the fruit that had been soaking in alcohol for several hours.
Eventually, my career led me to the Dallas area when WorldCom bought MCI and I had the opportunity to bring Pat on board. Pat was hired to create a new position as a Quality Assurance Manager in one of the divisions I was responsible for. Even though he had no experience, he did an outstanding job. Eventually this led to him being hired as an auditor for Underwriters Laboratory.
One thing that makes me proud is that job literally took him all over the world including Russia, South America, and Ireland. He loved to travel, and he got to see a lot of this world that most will not.
Over the years we went on many vacations together, went on cruises together and spent weekends together. When we had Klein family reunions, Pat would be there too.
When I had a spinal cord injury and surgery in Dallas, Pat and his son Jonathan are the ones that drove me back to Austin, while my wife was taking care of the kids.
Every year he would call to sing Happy Birthday to me. It may seem like a little thing, but it meant a lot to me because it was something my parents used to do before they passed away.
There are literally hundreds of stories I could share, but one of my favorites is the first time we went to Las Vegas.
It was while we were in college. I was bowling for U of Iowa (yeah, they had a bowling team) and I had a Pro Am tournament in Las Vegas during Christmas break. Pat decided to go with me, and we drove out together in his Gran Prix. After the tournament our plan was to drive to Phoenix and have our girlfriends fly out to meet us over Christmas break.
While on our drive to Vegas, we were in the mountains and I could hear a grinding noise every time he put on the brakes, that’s when he informed me that the pads needed to be changed and were in the trunk. But he didn’t have tools. What a Harold! We came to a small mountain town that literally had one gas station with a garage across the street. Pat talked him into putting on the brakes for 20 bucks and we were on our way. He was always a bargain hunter.
We had a great time in Vegas, but the real fun started when we were leaving town. Pats Grand Prix overheated, and we pulled over to let it cool down. We went inside a little casino to pass the time and play the nickel slots. Pat started winning and I was losing. After getting the car back on the road we decided to stop at one more casino so I could try to win some of my money back.
Again, Pat was winning, and I was losing. It got so bad that I was literally down to my last 10 dollars. I walked up to the cashier, got 10 silver dollars and started playing blackjack with Pat standing right behind me. I would order a drink and pass it back to him and then order another for myself. This went on for hours.
Finally, at 1:30 am I had won all my money back plus a $150! As we were walking to the car, we were laughing and having a great time until we realized that we had to pick up our girlfriends at 8:00 am at the Phoenix airport. So, we jumped in the car and started the drive to Phoenix, making a stop along the way to take a pee off the Hoover Dam.
At some point I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is opening my eyes to see that it was daylight, and we were in downtown Phoenix. When I turned my head to look at Pat, he was fast asleep with his foot on the brake sitting at a stop light. I had to wake him up. As we were pulling into the airport, we could see the plane landing. We made it!
In 2016, I received a call from Pats wife that she was worried about him. Something just seemed a little off. I met with Pat and though it was very subtle, I could tell something wasn’t right and I encouraged him to get checked out. Not long after, Pat was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia. It was devastating news. Even though it is one of the most horrible diseases with no cure, he still had a positive attitude. His strength was inspiring.
A few weeks later, I reached out to several childhood friends to spend a weekend together and go to an Iowa Hawkeye Football game. He loved the Hawkeyes. Even though some had not seen him in several years, they all said yes. This became an annual trip until he was no longer able to travel. So, the next year we all met in Dallas and watched the game with him. That says a lot about this group of old Dodgers. After a 6 year battle, Pat passed away on February 10, 2022.
Lifelong friendships are one of life’s greatest treasures. Things happens. People move. People change. But not Pat. He was the same person I met when I was 10 years old. We grew up together and experienced a lot of life together. For that I am grateful. Rest in Peace my brother from another mother.
What vivid and wonderful memories Kevin. You guys were great classmates and it's been fun getting to know you more in the last few decades. I'm sorry we lost Pat and also very sorry about your brother Art. Share more memories please!
Kevin Klein
In less than 10 months, I lost two brothers. My oldest brother Arthur and Pat Mc Mahon....
I met Pat when I moved from the flats to South 17th Street the summer before 6th grade. He lived just a few houses up the hill from me and we became friends immediately.
Like most kids at that age, we had a group of friends from the neighborhood that hung out after school riding bikes, playing football and just being a kid.
In junior high, we play cards on Friday nights and bowling on Saturday mornings.
In 9th grade, Pat, Carwyn Hovden and I had every class together, skipped school together, and served in school suspension together. A story for another time.
When we turned 16 and got our driver’s license, we drove all over the state. From Des Moines to see our first concert STYX, to Rutland to swim in the quarries, every weekend was a blast.
In 10th grade, Dave Smith helped Pat and I get a job at Pizza Hut and soon we became Assistant Managers. We had some great times at Pizza Hut. We would often meet up after closing and have a pizza and beer, play space invaders and Pac Man. When we were seniors in high school, Pat and I were recruited by a former manager, to open a Paul Reveres pizza in the Last Chance Saloon. We were the only two employees.
After high school, Pat enrolled in the Drafting Program at Iowa Central Community College before transferring to UNI. After graduating from UNI, he was offered a job at Vistawall Architectural Products in Terrill, Texas.
Mark Ewing, Pat and Tony Schleisman were the first ones to move to Texas and then Jon. I moved to Austin 6 months later.
We had a lot of good times after moving to Texas. One of the best times was when a group of us all went to Farm Aid 2 at Manor Down in 1986. Pat came to Austin, and we made trashcan punch when he got there at 2am. We decided to throw a bunch of fruit in the cooler with the punch so we would have something to eat later in the morning.
The gates opened at 6:00 am and the festival started at 7:30 am. Box Car Willie was the opening act, and we were all hammered from eating the fruit that had been soaking in alcohol for several hours.
Eventually, my career led me to the Dallas area when WorldCom bought MCI and I had the opportunity to bring Pat on board. Pat was hired to create a new position as a Quality Assurance Manager in one of the divisions I was responsible for. Even though he had no experience, he did an outstanding job. Eventually this led to him being hired as an auditor for Underwriters Laboratory.
One thing that makes me proud is that job literally took him all over the world including Russia, South America, and Ireland. He loved to travel, and he got to see a lot of this world that most will not.
Over the years we went on many vacations together, went on cruises together and spent weekends together. When we had Klein family reunions, Pat would be there too.
When I had a spinal cord injury and surgery in Dallas, Pat and his son Jonathan are the ones that drove me back to Austin, while my wife was taking care of the kids.
Every year he would call to sing Happy Birthday to me. It may seem like a little thing, but it meant a lot to me because it was something my parents used to do before they passed away.
There are literally hundreds of stories I could share, but one of my favorites is the first time we went to Las Vegas.
It was while we were in college. I was bowling for U of Iowa (yeah, they had a bowling team) and I had a Pro Am tournament in Las Vegas during Christmas break. Pat decided to go with me, and we drove out together in his Gran Prix. After the tournament our plan was to drive to Phoenix and have our girlfriends fly out to meet us over Christmas break.
While on our drive to Vegas, we were in the mountains and I could hear a grinding noise every time he put on the brakes, that’s when he informed me that the pads needed to be changed and were in the trunk. But he didn’t have tools. What a Harold! We came to a small mountain town that literally had one gas station with a garage across the street. Pat talked him into putting on the brakes for 20 bucks and we were on our way. He was always a bargain hunter.
We had a great time in Vegas, but the real fun started when we were leaving town. Pats Grand Prix overheated, and we pulled over to let it cool down. We went inside a little casino to pass the time and play the nickel slots. Pat started winning and I was losing. After getting the car back on the road we decided to stop at one more casino so I could try to win some of my money back.
Again, Pat was winning, and I was losing. It got so bad that I was literally down to my last 10 dollars. I walked up to the cashier, got 10 silver dollars and started playing blackjack with Pat standing right behind me. I would order a drink and pass it back to him and then order another for myself. This went on for hours.
Finally, at 1:30 am I had won all my money back plus a $150! As we were walking to the car, we were laughing and having a great time until we realized that we had to pick up our girlfriends at 8:00 am at the Phoenix airport. So, we jumped in the car and started the drive to Phoenix, making a stop along the way to take a pee off the Hoover Dam.
At some point I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is opening my eyes to see that it was daylight, and we were in downtown Phoenix. When I turned my head to look at Pat, he was fast asleep with his foot on the brake sitting at a stop light. I had to wake him up. As we were pulling into the airport, we could see the plane landing. We made it!
In 2016, I received a call from Pats wife that she was worried about him. Something just seemed a little off. I met with Pat and though it was very subtle, I could tell something wasn’t right and I encouraged him to get checked out. Not long after, Pat was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia. It was devastating news. Even though it is one of the most horrible diseases with no cure, he still had a positive attitude. His strength was inspiring.
A few weeks later, I reached out to several childhood friends to spend a weekend together and go to an Iowa Hawkeye Football game. He loved the Hawkeyes. Even though some had not seen him in several years, they all said yes. This became an annual trip until he was no longer able to travel. So, the next year we all met in Dallas and watched the game with him. That says a lot about this group of old Dodgers. After a 6 year battle, Pat passed away on February 10, 2022.
Lifelong friendships are one of life’s greatest treasures. Things happens. People move. People change. But not Pat. He was the same person I met when I was 10 years old. We grew up together and experienced a lot of life together. For that I am grateful. Rest in Peace my brother from another mother.
Steve Harder
Beautiful memories, Kevin!
Brook Hoover
What vivid and wonderful memories Kevin. You guys were great classmates and it's been fun getting to know you more in the last few decades. I'm sorry we lost Pat and also very sorry about your brother Art. Share more memories please!