I lost a good friend and co-worker last week. Pat Maurer, has been a part of the Clare County Review since 1983, first as a sales rep, then a writer, then editor and finally as owner. Along the way my father and I purchased the paper from Gary Grim of Farwell and then a few years later sold it to Pat. Ironically, Pat, many years later sold it back to me and continued to this day as a correspondent and columnist.
If your counting that’s 42 years serving up news and features about Clare County. Pat was a true journalist, never inserting her opinion in an article and always going the extra mile to present both sides of the story.
But for me, an oftentimes overworked editor, Pat was a Godsend. She would do anything or write anything I asked. When many of my reporters felt overburdened when they were asked to write three stories, Pat wrote ten and sometimes more.
And throughout my many years of working alongside her, she never once complained. She loved writing and loved her community. Before health problems forced her to work from home, she and husband Jack would spend Thursdays helping us design the paper to go to press. She was a bundle of joy, keeping everyone loose on what was typically a stressful day.
But that was Pat. She always had a smile on her face and had kind words for everyone. And despite having health issues the past few years, she continued writing and reporting. It didn’t matter if she was on vacation or sick at home, she kept writing, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
Having twelve different newspapers, I have encountered all types of reporters/writers. There are those that are very conscientious and care deeply about their job and community. I would say I’m lucky to have several that fit that description. Then there are others that simply struggle to produce one article in a timely manner.
Pat was at the top of the former. She will be missed. At this point I have no Idea how I will replace her. She has been the face of the Clare County Review for 42 years. Her death was so sudden, I hadn’t given a replacement much thought. We will figure it out, but without Pat’s contributions, it will be a struggle.
But more importantly than her professional career was the friendship we developed and then sustained through the many years. As co-workers we were together a lot, and then in later years talked on the phone a couple times a week as well as emailing back and forth. She was the definition of a true friend- there to offer advice, tell you when she thought you were wrong, or simply to offer encouragement.
While I aspired to lofty professional goals, Pat chose a simple life- one that put family, Clare and The Review first. Without her I dare say The Review might have went the way of its competitor, The Sentinel or like so many other newspapers. But because of her we are strong, and the strength she gave us will allow us to carry on for many years to come.
