OBITUARIES BEACH BEAT

Holmes Beach

2/20, 12 a.m., grand theft, 207 71st St. The officer responded to a residence in response to a missing pool pump. The power wires and high-pressure PVC pipe had been cut and the pump was removed. The victim did not have any security cameras on the property, and no neighbors or passersby could identify a suspect in the theft.

2/20, 1:03 p.m., information, 3200 East Bay Drive. Two officers were dispatched to Walgreens in reference to a shoplifting call. Dispatch advised that three young males attempted to steal liquor from the store but were stopped by an employee. The manager told police that this is the third shoplifting attempt by young males in the past few weeks. On Feb. 20 a young male stole $257.94 worth of alcohol, but the cameras did not have a good enough view of him leaving with the alcohol to pursue a police investigation. The store manager could not say for certain that the same group was responsible for both incidents, but the same gold Acura sedan was present both times.

2/27, 9:19 p.m., operating while license revoked, 3100 Gulf Drive. While on patrol, the officer saw a man driving a golf cart without a seatbelt, and initiated a traffic stop. The officer explained the reason for the stop, and when he asked for the driver’s license, he was handed an ID card and told the officer his license was expired. Manatee towing retrieved the cart, and the driver was placed under arrest for operating a vehicle with a license that had been expired or revoked for more than six months. He was then transferred to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which took him to Manatee County Jail. The driver was also cited for the seatbelt violation.

Patricia Garrett

Patricia Garrett (Pat), 79, of Holmes Beach and Portland, Maine, died on Thursday, March 2 after a year-long struggle with colon cancer. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Oliver Woshinsky, who passed away in 2019.

She leaves behind an adoring family including sister, Kathy (George) Ball; and stepson, David (Marjan Sedgh) Woshinsky. She is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews and their children, most of whom came to Holmes Beach in April 2022 for a fun-filled Garrett-Ball family reunion that was the highlight of Pat’s year.

Pat was an accomplished biochemist, earning an undergraduate degree at St. Francis College in Pennsylvania, a master’s degree at Georgetown University in Washing - ton D.C., and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She conducted cutting-edge research on HIV/AIDS at SeraCare Life Sciences from 1988-2012 and at Immunetics Inc. from 2014-17. She published numerous articles over the course of her career and served as a role model to many young scientists.

One of her colleagues described her as “a wise and sage mentor to all, always going out of her way to help and educate others.” Pat retired in 2017 to care for her husband and to spend more time on Anna Maria Island, but continued to remain active in her field by opening her own consulting firm specializing in quality control, method evaluation and infectious disease testing.

In recent years, Pat enjoyed exercising at Island Fitness/AMI Center, practicing yoga with Friends and dining out at neighborhood restaurants. Pat had a generous soul and, in addition to leaving big tips, was a regular donor to a variety of charities. She was thoughtful, compassionate, and loved making new friends, many of whom she remained in regular touch with around the country and the world. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.