Patrizia Monari

Submitted by: Kimberley Monari
Born: 1987
Died: 2014
My Tribute: Patrizia had a blessed beginning. Some would say charmed, but that implies magic. I’ll stay with blessed. She was a child of 3 worlds, an American Mother, a British Father, born & baptized in Rome. She was born in Sacred Heart Hospital, the same university teaching hospital where Pope John Paul II was treated. When she was 3 months old, we met Mother Teresa @ the convent of the Missionaries of Charity. I shot the picture of Mother Teresa holding her in the air, the photo of a lifetime! At 18 months she won a baby pageant, “Nevada’s Tiny Baby”. She began ballet classes @ 2 yrs. In kindergarten, she was the hula-hoop champion of her school, beating even 8th graders. As a Santa Cruz 1st grader she noticed that our neighbor’s newspapers were piling up which led to the woman’s rescue, which led to her being hailed as a hero in the local paper. In the 4th grade she started a school newspaper since there was none. She was a Brownie Scout & was a top cookie seller as we ventured into the untapped territories of her Grandmother’s Senior Center & UC Santa Cruz where I worked. She loved her rabbits & was the natural baby sitter @ family gatherings.
After moving to San Diego, she played basketball in the 7th grade & was a cheerleader in the 8th grade. She was selected for the Performing Arts high school & as a sophomore was a teaching assistant in ballet. She branched out in other areas of dance, becoming proficient in tap, modern, jazz & hip-hop. She was an Avon lady @ 12, started a dog-walking business & made an art studio in the garage for the neighbors. Dabbling with speed, led to an addiction to meth whioch later brought on the double challenge of voices, hence dual diagnosis. She spent 10 months in a hospital specifically for this in the country hills above San Diego. After she was discharged she met many new friends, including a new boyfriend that was an artist. He liked something besides art. My daughter died of a Heroin overdose in his storage unit after dating him 1 month.