Patrick Joseph Mahon

Patrick Joseph Mahon Jr. left this earth on March 8, 2021, at his home in Tannersville, NY, with his brother and niece by his side, after a battle with oral cancer. Patrick was born on January 5th, 1949, to Patrick Joseph Mahon Sr. and Elizabeth Catherine Mahon (née Meehan) in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Packy, as his friends and family called him, graduated from Valley Stream Central High School in 1967. He enrolled in the United States Air Force in 1968 and was stationed in Aviano, Italy, until his honorable discharge in 1972. After returning from the Air Force, he worked for the New York Bridge and Tunnel Authority until deciding to enter the Police Academy.

Upon graduation from the Police Academy, Patrick was assigned to the Suffolk County Police Department’s First Precinct, where he served from 1981 to 2006. After 25 years of public service, he retired from the police force, splitting his time between his homes in Oakdale, NY, and Tannersville, NY.

Packy—a lifetime bachelor, yet quite the ladies’ man—was an avid skier, visiting mountains across the US and Canada, skiing places like Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Park City, Jackson Hole, Sunday River, and Lake Louise, to name just a few. His home resort was Hunter Mountain, where he’d skied since the ’70s. He purchased his home there—“Camp Packaway”—in 1977. He was a staple on the slopes at Hunter and known by everyone. He could often be found on the deck at midstation, sipping pinot grigio from a plastic water bottle and nibbling on cheese he’d packed down the hill in a backpack. A piece of him will always reside there at his favorite spot on Hunter Mountain.

No one could say Packy was cheap. He was one of the most generous people around, never hesitating to help, whether it was filling a stranger’s empty Christmas tree with presents or helping a friend repair their vehicle. He would always put up a fight when someone tried to pay for dinner—you had to sneak the waiter your credit card early in the evening in order to win that battle, always to Packy’s chagrin.

Packy made friends wherever he went. He was always telling stories—sometimes repeatedly, depending on how much pinot had been consumed—and reliving the excitement of years past. Up until the very end, he was telling stories with shocking recollection and detail.

As his friends have pointed out, he never played by the rules. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he told only his family and a select few friends, not wanting anyone to know what was going on inside. He was given one to three years to live—and of course he made it four! He wanted nothing to do with treatment or hospitals. “I’ve lived a good life,” he told his family. He wanted to stay at home, and so he did.

Patrick is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Mark Joseph Mahon. He is survived by his brother Linus Patrick Mahon and his wife Pamela Mahon (née Denness), of St. Louis, MO; their daughter, Lindsey Nelson (née Mahon), her husband, Lars Nelson, and their daughters, Prestyn and Peysli, of Gunnison, CO; as well as friends far and wide.

A visitation will be held on Long Island in Deer Park, NY, Sunday, April 18th at Mangano Funeral Home from 2–4:30 p.m. and 7–9:30 p.m.

A memorial service will be held in Tannersville, NY, sometime during the summer, when all of his friends return. Date yet to be determined.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.