In Memoriam – Patricia Fogarty

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

It is with deep regret that I wish to inform our followers that my dear friend and fellow Monochromia contributor Patricia Fogarty (aka Patti Kuche) has passed away. She is survived by her loving husband Mark Fogarty and her sons Iggy, Dom and Patrick. All of us at this blog want to extend our deepest sympathy to Mark and family. She will leave a void in hearts of the many people who have had the pleasure of knowing her.

Patti Fogarty
Patti Fogarty
Patti Fogarty

Images by Stacy Fischer

Patti was first and foremost a great street photographer. She was also a dear friend and a genuinely fun person to be around. My wife Theresa and I had a special connection with Patti. We adored her mixture of Australian and London brogue accent and I don’t think there was ever a time where she failed to make us laugh when we got together.

When I first became friends with Patti she only had two requests:

  1. She was to be notified every time I came into town. I never once broke this request nor would I ever dream of a trip into Manhattan without getting together with Patti.

2. We must finish every meet up having a discussion about the day over an ice cold IPA.

”My heart is broken. How fortunate I was to meet Patti through Monochromia and how blessed I was to spend some time with her in NYC, walking the streets with our cameras in hand. She had grown into an amazingly talented street photographer. The world is darker for the loss of Patti’s talent; my world is darker for the loss of her friendship. Rest with the angels, Patti.” – Stacy Fischer

 

Patti Fogarty
Joe Giordano, Patti Fogarty
Patti Fogarty, Joe Giordano
Patti Fogarty, Stacy Fischer
Joe Giordano, Patti Fogarty
Patti Fogarty, Gracie and Robyn Graham

Images by Laurie Buchwald

These images were taken by fellow Monochromia contributor Laurie Buchwald on a beautiful autumn weekend that we all shared during a Monochromia get together in NYC a couple of years ago. Patti really touched all of our hearts.

“When  I think of Patti, there are 4 main absolutes that come to mind. I was only in her presence physically for 48 hours but like many the world over, feel that I knew her well.

Selfless – we “met” through blogging and became friends through Joe. She was selfless with her time in that no matter which blogger came to visit the City, or how often, she was on board to meet and shoot.

Generous – she was generous with her time, her talent, and her praise. She made me, the amateur in the group, feel like I belonged. She always offered encouragement and praise of my photography efforts, and I know she did the same for others.

Passionate – about family, friendship, life, and politics (thank goodness we were on the same side! I loved her for that!).

So Much Fun – always ready for a beer, and in my mind, what else do you need? 

While a gifted photographer, she was humble and never wanted the attention on herself, rather on all the people she photographed. The streets will miss her craft, as will her family and many, many friends” – Laurie Buchwald

With Robyn Graham, Laurie Buchwald, Yours truly, Patti Fogarty, Stacy Fischer
With Patricia Fogarty, Joe Giordano, Elina Kesvatera
With Joe Giordano, Patricia Fogarty, Rico Rodriguez

Images by Theresa Giordano

These images were taken by my wife Theresa with the exception of the second photo which was taken by Piotr Gutaker (Elina’s fiancé) in June of 2019.  I didn’t know at the time this would be the last time I would ever see Patti again.

Patti was excited to get together on that god awful humid June day to meet another friend and fellow Monochromia contributor from Finland, Elina K. who was visiting NYC for the first time. The first image in the group was taken at the time of the Monochromia NYC meetup and the last image was when Patti and I were both excited to meet fellow Monochromia contributor Rico Rodriguez from Scotland in Times Square NYC.

Its always hard to say goodbye to a friend and colleague but for my wife and I this is different. She pierced our hearts with love, laughter and friendship, and for that we are forever grateful to have known her for her short time with us.

So, in Ireland’s fine tradition, I tip a glass for you Patti. To endure your loving spirit forever.

Mar sin, i dtraidisiún breá na hÉireann, tarraingím gloine duit Patti. Go mairfidh do spiorad grámhar go deo.

All of Patti’s photographic contributions to Monochromia can be seen – here

You may also see Patti’s work on her personal photo blog – here

On Tumblr – here

Or in Instagram – here

 

39 thoughts on “In Memoriam – Patricia Fogarty”

  4. Such a beautiful In Memoriam Joe and glad I found it here on Laurie’s blog. I’m so sorry you’ve lost such a dear friend. It’s clear by all the messages here, Patti touched a lot of hearts. I will take some time to visit the links you’ve shared. Patti was just a delight to be with and I’m sad it was so sort for me. I must think her family is beyond heartbroken and shattered by this sudden loss and I hope they find some comfort in knowing how many lives she touched through her photography and joy filled approach to life. Take good care xo Love Kelly

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Joe, a wonderful tribute to a wonderful friend. I smiled at your comment that surely Patti would be saying “what’s all the fuss about.” Thanks for the much-needed emotional reprieve, as like you and others, I’m still grappling with the fact that she is gone. Patti’s passing reminds us of how fragile life can be and that we really do need to make every day count. Gone, but forever in our hearts.

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    1. Thank you Stacy. For me the first three days were the most emotional after I heard the news. As of late I have been concentrating on all the laughs and some of the really silly things we would end up talking about or even the expressions she would sometimes make.

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  6. Joe, your words about Patti confirm my thoughts about Monochromia: a big family where everyone is deeply connected to each other despite of distance.
    I’ve found (and keep doing) a lot of inspiration from your works.
    Rest in Peace Patti, a big hug to Mark and his family but also to all the members of Monochromia family.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much Levysoro. When I started this Monochromia project in 2014 I thought it might be a fun project but never imagined I would meet half of the contributors in person. I thought it would be an online collaboration of “artsy fartsy” eccentric type of artists or as other people might call them photographer types. Boy was I wrong with that thought. Every one of the contributors I have met in person has really put my initial thought to rest (and I have met many). Patti, Martha and Mel are the photographers I have met the most often because of the vicinity of the places we live. Patti was the person I met with regularly on my trips into Manhattan and a close friendship formed from those trips. Your heartfelt words give me comfort and the Monochromia project did turn into one big family. Thinking about what you said I can honestly say at least I did one thing right in my life, LOL. I stand corrected my marrying my wife Terry was the first thing I did right 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much Laurie ❤️ Terry and I will miss her dearly. I would like to quote my friend Michael Ging because his comment on one of my Facebook posts was so appropriate “It’s always hard when a friend passes on, but some people burn brighter than others and they are the hardest to let go”

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    1. We are all in shock Susan. Patti was one of a kind and there is a big hole in my heart knowing I will never see her again whenever I exit a train in Penn Station.

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      1. Of that I’m sure….we used to comment on each other’s blogs, but to my shame I hadn’t fully realised her absence until recently, and then your post appeared… She was brilliant at Street observations

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        1. Patti was not very active on her personal blog for at least a year Sue. She tended to post more on Instagram and Tumblr. One of the reasons she asked to fall back from a weekly contributor to an occasional contributor was because she wasn’t a regimented type of person she was more of a go with the flow type of photographer. I truly think this is where her strength as a photographer came from. Either you feel a shot or you don’t. I would like to share a post from Patti’s blog from 2014 where she expressed sort of a fear of joining Monochromia and having to post one image per week. We had many discussions on our meet ups about posting weekly but I sense she was never too comfortable with the thought even though all of the images she submitted week after week were outstanding. I believe Patti’s latest post on Instagram was from last week. The reports I am receiving from friends are that Patti passed away in London on Saturday November 16th 2019.

          https://nylondaze.com/2014/07/07/monochromia/

          Liked by 1 person

  13. To be remembered with so much love and fondness Patti surely had to have been a wonderful human being who radiated joy among those that were lucky to have been a part of her life. My deepest sympathies to those who miss her and loved her. Joe, this is indeed a tremendously heartfelt tribute that I hope Patti could look down from heaven and be rest assured she left positive indelible memories behind.
    May her soul Rest In Peace and May she prepare the way for the ones she loved and receive them with her arms wide open in a far better place in a future where we all inevitably belong.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you for your heartfelt and kind words AJ. You would have loved Patti if you met in person. Knowing Patti so well and how modest she was she is probably looking down on us and saying “Oh what’s all the fuss about”

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  14. What a beautiful tribute to Patti, Joe. She was so full of life, so much fun and I am grateful to you for introducing us. All the great memories and her amazing photography will live on. She will be sorely missed.

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