Pat Gresham

[coin-op]

Sadly, adding to the recent news regarding the passing of several other well known figures in the slot machine community, I have only just heard the Pat Gresham passed away on 31 October this year.
Many will know of Pat as the wife of the late Jon Gresham, but to those that knew her that certainly does not tell her story. Rather than being a wife who merely accepted her husband's interests, Pat was a formidable and highly intelligent lady who jointly and enthusiastically participated in Jons ventures and ably took the helm to run their Pocklington Penny Arcadia, both during Jon's lifetime and after. She was also very conscious of Jon's legacy in the arena of slot machines, mechanical music and magic (particularly with his side shows) and sought to see that his legacy and artifacts went where she felt appropriate. Pat contributed to the recently published book on Jon's life 'SIDESHOW SHOWMAN by Jon Gresham'. Pat can also be heard recounting Jon's activities on a BBC live programme from 2009 https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/saturdayli ... 0221.shtml . For my part I had the good fortune to meet Pat and communicate with her over many years and always found her a sparkling and interesting conversationalist. She will be very much missed by her family and extensive network of friends

An obituary and funeral details can be found here
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/ ... =194430107

[gameswat]

Another legendary character gone. I had the great fortune to meet and become friends with Pat, staying at her property on three occasions. A fantastic host and such an interesting life she lived! My parents even became friends with her and stayed several times. Considering the coin-op and other collections were built up by her husband Jon, she turned out to be best custodian possible after inheriting them. A huge undertaking to deal with 400+ machines , let alone everything else. She had to like you first before even thinking of selling you anything. Cheers to Pat!

[mclemore]

I just learned hours ago that we have lost Patricia "Pat" Gresham -- a great woman and good friend. A funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow. Her official obituary:

Patricia Gresham

GRESHAM Patricia Anne (Pat) Of Westwood House, North Dalton and former proprietor of Penny Arcadia, the Ritz Cinema, Pocklington and the Beverley Playhouse Cinema. Passed away peacefully after a long illness on 31st October 2019. Wife of the late John, much loved mother of Lindsey and the late Maxwell, treasured grandmother of Connie and Isobel and sadly missed sister of Maureen. Funeral service to be held on Friday 6th December 2019 at the East Riding Crematorium, Octon at 1.30pm. Family flowers only please, donations can be made to Macmillan Nurses on the day of the service. Henry Naylor Funeral Directors Ltd Eastfield House, New Road, Driffield, YO25 5DL. Tel: 01377 252222

Published in Pocklington Post on Nov. 13, 2019.

Pat was one of my very favorite people I have met in my life—in total—not just as a result of my interest in coin-operated machines. She was always pleasant, intelligent, independent, kind hearted, interesting, creative, artsy, and fun. I ended up spending a total of a full month visiting her in Pocklington, broken up into 3 trips, during which we had the opportunity to talk and exchange stories about countless topics ranging from our lives to politics, and from magic shows to family.

Pat and I were introduced to each other at a time when I was in the middle of putting together a key reference collection on the history of amusement game machines. It was also a time, 8 or 9 years after her husband death, at which she was beginning to think about the future of the Penny Arcadia collection.

She found the idea of keeping the heart of the collection intact particularly appealing and important to her. She saw the alternative as having to eventually sell off individual pieces of the collection in many different directions. This would break apart something in which she and had Jon had both put so much time, love, energy, and money into acquiring, operating, sharing, and maintaining.

After extensive discussions, Pat entrusted me to be Penny Arcadia’s adoptive parent – keeping together the top 100+ pieces of the collection, along with the Penny Arcadia name, a reference library, and associated materials. Her collection was combined with my own. At several of the Penny Arcadia exhibitions and gatherings held since, I’ve have had the honor of displaying the original Penny Arcadia sign that was hung so many years earlier in Pocklington. Additionally, I am currently in the planning stages of expanding coverage of the collection online. In doing so, I hope to continue to honor Pat’s legacy, and to make that legacy more accessible.

On our web site we maintain a short history of Penny Arcadia and Pat and Jon’s evolution with it ( https://www.arcade-museum.com/penny-arcadia/ ).

I hope that Pat’s friends and family have a chance to read some of what I’m sure will be numerous posts. The first message in this thread is from England. The second was posted from Perth, Australia. I write this one from California. Her presence was and is felt globally.

Pat, thank you for our friendship. You will be sorely missed.

Greg McLemore
Penny Arcadia
Los Angeles

[sweetmeats]

Got the news this morning so very sad. First met Pat about 15 years ago and visited her about eight or ten times over the next ten years. Each machine I bought I would send pictures of the restored machine which she liked to see. She was a generous and kind host and certainly had an interesting and colourful life and loved a party. She will be greatly missed but remembered in the machines I have that were hers.

[coin-op]

Jon Marshall has kindly provided a few images of Pat (and John) which it seems fitting to post here. Thank you Jon.

[sweetmeats]

Wonderful pictures, these show the real Pat I will remember, full of the joy of life despite life not always being so joyful for her. She always looked on the positive side of everything.