In memory of Pat Reilly

The Historic City News family lost a dear friend and supporter last week when Patricia Bornander Reilly passed, leaving a deep hole in both our community and in our hearts.

Pat moved to St Augustine in 2003, she was 69-years-old. She was a retired financial analyst who lived downtown in her home at 58 Carrera Street.

In the thirteen-years Pat called St Augustine home, she was always available to her friends and neighbors in need. As generous as she was with her praise and support for our city, she was an ever vigilant watchdog for the residents of the community. When Pat “smelled smoke” you could bet she wasn’t going to rest until she knew all the facts.

Delight in the life she had made for herself here in St Augustine motivated her to be an actively engaged citizen. She was a key supporter of Keep Riberia Point Green, and an outspoken advocate for enforcement of the City’s zoning restrictions against large-scale growth, as well as a critic of the use of Planned Unit Development to circumvent zoning in place to protect the residential and historical properties that remain downtown. She participated as a volunteer in the recent St Augustine Vision project.

To know Pat, as we did, is to know her passion for perfection — her insistence that every detail be absolutely correct. At the same time, many St Augustine residents benefited from her doggedness and determination, never knowing her role in achieving the quality of life we all enjoy. Pat Reilly was never there for praise or recognition, but she was always there.

There have been no public funeral arrangements announced by the family at this time. A private gathering of close friends is planned for later next week.