Patricia A. (Brinkman) Six

Patricia Ann Six, 94, died at her home in Westfield, Massachusetts, on Monday, February 23, 2026. She was predeceased by her husband, Wayne Anthony Six, who died in November 2025. 

Pat was born on March 16, 1931, the eldest child of Raymond and Edith (Stevens) Brinkman.  Her beloved sisters included Mary Lee (Mimi), and then Cynthia, who entered religious life with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Sr. Cynthia Brinkman, SSND. Next came Katherine (Kathie), later Mrs. Jerry Wilper of Monroe City, MO, and Barbara Jo, the baby and sole surviving sister, who became Mrs. John Meyer of Quincy, Illinois. The family lived in Quincy where she attended St. Francis Solanus School and Notre Dame High School, class of 1949. She was active in radio broadcasting, drama clubs, and yearbook editing. Pat worked at the Central Market in Quincy, where now and then she expertly dodged tarantulas hiding out on the stalks of bananas.

 She and her high school sweetheart, Wayne Six, were wed on June 27, 1953. Then began the adventures! The first was a honeymoon train ride to far-off El Paso, Texas, where Wayne was stationed in the Army. Pat taught elementary school there and learned some Spanish from her students. Next, she and Wayne headed back to Quincy where Stephen Anthony was born in 1954. Next followed a move to St. Louis, where Cynthia Ann was born in 1955, and Michael Andrew in 1958. The family were faithful parishoners at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Ferguson, MO, where Pat volunteered in various school and parish functions and settled into a “family” of friends in the suburbs of Normandy and Ferguson. She met her best friend, Mary Lucas, and worked for her doing market research, often on door-to-door interviewing adventures. Summers often included traveling cross-country on family road trips, learning her expert skills as navigator, and delighting in the grandeur of the West.

When Wayne encouraged their children to attend a brand-new Catholic college in far-away California, Pat was reluctant at first, but came to appreciate the wonderful education they received at Thomas Aquinas College. She warmly welcomed into the family the spouses they found there as well. Stephen married Gail Sockey, Cynthia became Mrs. Andrew Montanaro, and Michael married Julia Schmitt. When the grandchildren began to arrive, Wayne surprised her by announcing that they would move East to be nearer to the family.

Pat’s next adventure took place on 23 acres on a lake in Hampton, NY, where she became a “reluctant pioneer” during Wayne’s construction of a log cabin. She was a happy hostess for all the family gatherings there at “Hearthstone,” welcoming the family which grew to include 22 grandchildren and 55 great grandchildren. The nearby parish of St. Raphael in Poultney, Vermont became her place of daily prayer, more volunteering, and making friends.

 In 2011, she and Wayne had the journey of a lifetime as they flew to Rome, Italy for the ordination of their grandson, Fr. Thomas Montanaro, LC, son of Cindy and her husband, Andy. Several years later, Pat and Wayne moved to Westfield, MA, with Cindy and Andy to begin their last adventure, teaching all the family how to continue in old age as faithful spouses and people of great prayer at their parish, Holy Trinity in Westfield.

Pat’s greatest joys were her family and her faith. She was a woman who loved others with a warm and generous heart, even “adopting” several lonely souls to be part of the family. She often expressed her gratitude to God for all His blessings in her life.

The family is very grateful to the Baystate Hospice team, especially Jonathon, Kayla, and Harrison, members of Pat’s “Mutual Admiration Society,” for their remarkable personal care, Doug Rollins for his weekly gift of the Eucharist and to Fr. Paul Onuegbu for the Sacraments he bestowed. Her wake is set for 9:30-11 am on Monday, March 2 at Firtion Adams Funeral Home, 76 Broad Street, Westfield, MA. The funeral Mass will be at 11:30 am in Holy Trinity Church, Westfield. Burial will take place in the spring in St. Thomas Cemetery, Huntington. www.firtionadams.com

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.