Obituary of Patrick E. Gant

Patrick Edward Gant entered into rest on November 11, 2021 in Pennsville NJ. He was born on February 4, 1952, he was the third eldest child of William Russell and Anna May Mulford Gant. He graduated from Pennsville Memorial High School and was a life-long resident of Pennsville. Pat is remembered by his siblings as a smart, caring and helpful brother. When barely out of high school, he acquired a collection of philosophy books and studied for himself various world schools of thought. He was always ready for a philosophical discussion. He had an enthusiastic interest in photography and was brimming with excitement the day he shared his photographs of Pete Seeger in concert. He loved music having started with trumpet while in elementary school, and he played guitar. He shared and nurtured these interests with others. One brother reminisced that Pat gave him a love for music at a very early age. That same brother said that Pat also got him into photography and even taught him how to drive. A sister reminded us that he was a good painter many years ago. Pat had a sharp sense of humor. He enjoyed conversation and good-natured banter and would be ready with a sly smile and dry wit. Nieces and nephews remember him as a gentle adult who paid attention to them. Pat was drafted by the U.S. Army and was inducted on January 21, 1971. Pat was a kind and gentle soul with an limitless belief and trust that all people were good. When he went into the Army, they too recognized this. They trained him and assigned him as an X-ray Specialist as they saw he would best serve by helping our soldiers to heal. Pat kept records of that training all his life, documenting the 455 hours of classwork and supervised training and the Efficiency Rating of "Excellent." While on active duty as a Medical Corpsman, he received the National Defense Service Medal. On November 3rd of 2016, Pat was given a Congressional medal in recognition of his "Outstanding and Invaluable Service to the United States Army While Serving in the Vietnam War." His active duty ended 1/14/1974 and reserve duty ended 1/20/1977. Pat worked various and many jobs throughout his lifetime. A sister states she always thought of him as the Santa from Miracle on 34th Street because he'd get in trouble at his jobs for telling customers where they could get items cheaper. One might say he was an idealist and ethical to a fault, but he personified what goodness is. Pat is survived by his nine siblings: Anne Freas (Jack), William (Betty), Michael, Timothy, Karen Dague (Jack), Charles (Elvia), Nora Widener, Joseph, and Elaine, eighteen nieces and nephews, and many great nieces and nephews. We siblings are grateful for the messages being posted and shared by people whose lives have intersected with our brother. In lieu of flowers, we would respectfully suggest that you reach out to someone who it has been hard to keep in your lives. It is our purpose as humans to be our best with the time we are given. Graveside services with honors will be held at. 2:00 PM Thursday November 18th at the Salem County Veterans Cemetery, Pilesgrove, NJ. www.laughreyfuneralhome.com