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Patrick stood out in a crowd. He was one of the funniest, most intelligent, generous, yet unassuming people I’ve ever known. It is an honor to create this site in his memory. I hope it allows people for years to come to learn more about an outstanding person who spent too short a time on this planet. Most of the content is Patrick’s own and has been uploaded to this web site to share with others. I encourage you to submit stories or photos of Patrick. In particular, I have little information about Patrick’s early life and time in the United States Navy. PatrickSherwin.com is reserved for ten years and I hope to maintain it for much longer. Maybe some day there will be a perpetual internet hosting service. George Perry (george@perry.net)
Wow, I just found this site today. It hit me like a ton of bricks since I was just thinking about the guys in Nuke School, Patrick included. About a few weeks ago, I had a flash-back of Nuke School, about how I would do people's laundry at night(I didn't sleep well when sober) to make beer money and “beer sponsors” for my weekend drinking sprees. Patrick was a one of my laundry customers, and a beer sponsor. I would make sure people like Patrick had fresh clean, ironed uniforms hanging on their 'dorm' doors for nuke school a couple times a week, when I need beer and money. Some people would judge me saying, I had drinking problem, but Patrick would just say he liked the dryer sheets I used.
Patrick failed out of Nuke school, our section had about a 50% drop-out rate. I believe they moved the 'failures' out of Nuke berthing during weekdays, while we were in school, they were to be shunned by Us nukes failing. Man I hated the Nav. :/
I ran into Patrick on the Big-E, after I finished Nuke Prototype school. He welcomed me aboard his mini-sea stories, the man had a Battle-E on his uniform, but no sea service ribbon, do the math. Now and then we hung out, he was kewl, always had a weird perception of life, and the Navy, I would sneak him into the forward Nuke lounge. It had a big TV, plus it was good to get him out A-ganger berthing now and then, you could tell he was treated 'different'. I convinced myself the different treatment was a result of him being an ex-nuke. I think everyone that knew Patrick knew why he was treated differently. Nuff said.
I can't say we always got along, or we were good friends, but we managed to always laugh and joke about things, since we did have history together. Even though Nuke School does bring out the worse in people, Patrick was a good person.
I plan tonight to open a bottle of wine and have a glass thinking about the man who knew how to accessorize.
:) Tom Dietrich
Big E 1989-1993
NNPS 8804/10
I have been out of the navy for many years. I was on the Big E in 1967. I am very happy that you did this web site for Patrick. It sounds like he was a wonderful person. I came across this site while looking through comments in King Pauls site. It kind of reminds me of my brother who died of aids several years ago. He too, was a funny outgoing person. He was my best friend! Again, you did a very good thing by doing this, no one will forget Patrick. Thank You Ray Henderson
I apologize to anyone who has had problems posting to this guestbook over the past few weeks. The problems have been corrected. George
Hello from Patrick Sherwin of New Zealand, Paying my respects to my namesake, sounds like a great guy, same sort of interests as me too, weird. A memorial site is a great idea. Regards Pat patjpsherwin@hotmail.com
Patrick was a very dear friend to me, I miss him more than I could possibly express in the written word, that is one of the reason's it has taken me so long to write something. Patrick and I worked together for Pitney Bowes for years, I am the Jane in the paper titled Jane. We were also very close fiends outside of work, we have many friends and hangouts in common. We used to love and sit out on the patio at the Max or the Colley Cantina. Now that the Weather is turning warm , I find myself thinking I should Call Patrick and meet him at the Cantina, and then I am quickly stricken with the sad reality ,that we will never be sitting there drinking, laughing and jokeing about everything under the sky again, we had fun together. Working together on a daily basis for so many years , we talked daily , even after he left pb I would call him and rant and rave or joke about this or that, and he was always there for me. I watched Star Trek Enterprise the other week for the 1rst time since his death and when the theme song came on I just about lost it. Patrick and I hated that song, when we heard it at work , we would quickly call the other's extension and make a joke, and when the show was comeing on , sometimes I would call him and sing it to him and he always went "oh God" . At work I would boss Patrick around (imagine that) and ask him to do this or get me that, and he would always say in his little sarcastic, loveing, jokeing way "any thing else for milady'. I miss him and love him and he will always be in my heart and thoughts. I am takeing computer classes now and I can sometimes feel him , becouse he was always my computer expert, well I have babbled long enough as Patrick would say, and I am starting to cry and he is not here to put his arm around me and tell me everything is okay. Jane Marshall
We didn't know Patrick, but we (the band TRS-80) found this site while doing
a routine search for album reviews. That's when we discovered Patrick's story
and the fact that he enjoyed our music. We all read through the site and wanted
to extend our sympathy to Patrick's family and friends. He obviously has a great
group of friends that miss him deeply. Memorializing Patrick with this website
is a wonderful idea and it illustrates how much you all care about him. We were
born around the same year as Patrick so it's a good reminder to live life to its
fullest, even if that sounds like a cheesy cliché it's important to remember.
Kent, Deb and Jay
TRS-80
My apologies for this bizarre and out-of-the-blue email; I hope you find it neither offensive nor disturbing. And to be quite honest, as a stranger, I am not entirely sure why I am writing it...but hopefully you will understand shortly with the following explanation.
My name is Patrick Small, and I live in the Florida Keys. I decided to “Google Images” my name to see how many other people shared it and what they were all about (a bit too much time on my hands perhaps). I did not get far because my surname also happens to be a common size description for photos. I came across a photo entitled “King Patrick,” piquing my curiosity. Upon clicking the link I arrived at the memorial site for Patrick Sherwin. Without realizing or reading anything, I began scanning the photos trying to get a sense of who he was (I have met very few people with my first name). As I scanned, I made certain observations - primarily that he appeared gregarious, with many friends who also enjoyed his company. But then I saw something different – an arm around another man. Rare, but not jumping to any conclusions, I receded from the photos to his biography. Another revelation soon emerged – not only did we share the same name - here was another gay Patrick (the only other one I have comes across in my fifteen years of being “out”). I decided to read on, focusing on a question I have long contemplated, “Do people who share the same name also share the same traits and interests (similar to my curiosity about whether people start to look like their pets)?” Then it started to get slightly bizarre as I continued…Patrick Sherwin was raised by his mother, Patrick Sherwin had a goatee, Patrick Sherwin liked dance music, Patrick Sherwin was interested in religions (Buddhism and Taoism were particularly mentioned), Patrick Sherwin had designed a tattoo.
There were parallels in our lives that hit close to home. Although born in Vancouver, Canada in 1971, I was raised by my mother in Central Canada along with an older brother and sister. I developed an appreciation for music at a very early age and began composing electronic music in 1989. In 2002 I was offered (but turned down) a recording contract with a Canadian record label, knowing that my destiny belonged to my long cherished profession of city planning. In 1992, while working in Minneapolis, I met a young Asian man who introduced me to the way of Taoism. Although I have been studying it since, I have found balancing the practice with western culture very difficult and have met few people who are truly familiar with that path, let alone another gay man with my name. Although not entering the military, I have often been mistaken as military personnel with my short hair (although I also sport a goatee). Contemplating a tattoo as a rather permanent statement about my life, I finally chose one in 2001 - a strange and unique repeating pattern - a single line emanating from a central point symbolizing to me the interconnectedness of all things consistent with my interest in quantum physics, consciousness and neurophysiology.
In short, it was a strange experience to find so many unique parallels stemming from a simple internet search to see who shared my name. It was not however until I finished reading the bio and backtracked to the opening page that I realized the tragedy - it is his memorial site (or better yet, a celebration of his life).
In closing, I hope you do not mistake this email as an
attempt to diminish his significance, or an attempt to say that I am just
like him. Obviously we are two separate people living different lives. I
simply thought I would share my strange experience – which leads me to
conclude that perhaps there is some truth to my query, “Do people with the
same names share some of the same attributes or interests?
” 
I am enclosing a photo of me and my tattoo for reference. Take care and thanks for your time.
Sincerely and respectfully,
Patrick Small, Tavernier, FL (_patricksmall@bellsouth.net_)
A couple of other remarkable similarities I missed upon returning to Patrick’s website - I am also a big science fiction fan, an avid reader and had a (somewhat military) tie to Washington DC. I have a large science fiction collection of both DVDs and books. My DVD collection contains such known films as “Contact,” “The Arrival,” “Blade Runner” (my all-time favorite movie) and “Dune,” to such unknowns as director Mimoru Oshii’s “Avalon,” Korean anime film “Wonderful Days” (“Sky Blue” as it is marketed in the US) and the Japanese film “Appleseed.” I am also a big Star Trek fan, although only of the “Next Generation” phase. I have every book written my favorite sci-fi author (who inspired my interest in quantum physics), James P. Hogan. My book collection contains everything from sci-fi books by Kim Stanley Robinson and Ben Bova to Capra’s “The Tao of Physics,” Quinn’s “Ishmael,” Deng Ming Dao’s “Scholar Warrior” and Talbot’s “The Holographic Universe.” My interest in science fiction manifests in my music project, Suono Elettrico (Italian for Electrical Soundworker) through such songs as “Moonrise” (psytrance song inspired by Spielberg’s movie “A.I.”), “Inner Space Receiver,” and “Datagen” recorded at my “Fire In Zero Gravity” studio. My tie to Washington DC was through an ex-boyfriend I met while living in Calgary, Canada. Although in the military at the time, he now works as a forensics scientist for the FBI at their DNA lab in Gaithersburg, VA.
Suffice to say, there is a little bit more in terms of similarities than one might expect from two Patricks. When you add it all up, it does seem like more than coincidence:
both named Patrick, both gay, both raised by their mothers, both interested in science fiction, both interested in Taoism (and eastern philosophies), both like dance music, both like Star Trek, both readers, both with facial hair, both designed their own tattoos (a stretch if I may, that both had radiating patterns), and both with some tie to Washington DC.
It appears that about the only dissimilarity was that I love sushi (listed as one of his gripes on the website). J
Take care,
Patrick Small, Tavernier, FL