Patricia Ann (Colwell) Rinella passed away on Sunday, April 26, 2015 in her home in Arizona after a brief illness, with her loving family surrounding her. She was born in Aurora, Illinois on February 22, 1931, the daughter of James Michael and Helen Mary (Rogan) Colwell. Pat grew up on Superior Street and went to Catholic Elementary School and East Aurora High. After high school, Pat went to work for Illinois Bell Company in customer relations. She moved to Quincy, Illinois, with her family in 1952 and continued to work for Illinois Bell. In Quincy, Pat met her future husband Sam Rinella Jr. and they were married in St. Francis Church by the Pastor, Father Adolph, on November 27th, 1954. They had recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

Pat was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, caregiver and volunteer.

She was a longtime member of the Church of St. Peter.

Her husband Sam survives, along with five of their children and their spouses: Samuel C. Rinella III and his wife Kim Fischer Rinella of Grayslake, IL; Michael A. Rinella and his wife Betsy Rinella of Libertyville, IL; James A. Rinella and his wife Melinda Rinella of Quincy; Daughters, Regina “Gina” Ann Cotton and her husband Michael Cotton of Northborough, MA and Helen E. Sullivan and her husband Paul Sullivan also of Northborough. Their youngest child Jennifer Marie Rinella, born in 1974, was handicapped. Pat spent twenty-one years caring for Jenny and generously giving her time and service to the local Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) chapter and other local organizations. Jennifer preceded Pat in death on August 25, 1995.

Pat’s volunteer work with the Association for Retarded Citizens led to her and Sam’s major involvement in the DA Weibring ProAm Golf Tournament, which directly benefited the Adams County ARC. Pat devoted tireless hours to this event and to the Quincy School for the Handicapped. She also volunteered many hours at St. Peter’s School and helped found the school library in the early 1960s.

Pat enjoyed traveling, going to the opera, ballet, and symphony, playing bridge, golfing, reading historical novels, and, most of all, spending time with her family.

In the past few decades, Pat’s greatest joy was her 11 grandchildren: Nick and Alex Rinella; Samantha (Rinella) Haugen, Frank and MacKenzie Rinella; Liz and Drew Rinella; Taylor (Cotton) Rose, Julie and Jack Cotton; and JP Sullivan. She and Sam followed their sports teams, attending games whenever possible to cheer them on, and attending all of their major life milestone events to help celebrate and let them know how loved and important they were to her. Pat hosted countless family dinners and holidays, cooking outstanding feasts that always ended with her homemade desserts of pies, cakes, cookies, etc. She was an amazing baker. Among so many wonderful memories, her children and grandchildren will always remember the wide variety of Christmas cookies that she made each year – helping to decorate them is a cherished memory.

Pat was blessed to attend – along with her entire family – the recent weddings of her granddaughters, Taylor (Cotton) Rose, who married Nathan Rose in September 2014, and Samantha (Rinella) Haugen, who married Marty Haugen in December 2014.

Several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews also survive.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, James Michael Colwell, David Colwell and Denis Colwell, and her daughter, Jennifer Marie Rinella.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 4, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. in the Duker & Haugh Funeral Home with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in the Church of St. Peter officiated by Monsignor Leo Enlow. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Duker & Haugh. Memorials are suggested to the Church of St. Peter at www.cospq.org, Quincy Notre Dame High School at www.quincynotredame.org, and Transitions at www.twi.org.