He went through the desert with General Patton and stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. Convinced he was never coming home from the war, he put all of his money into a life insurance policy to make sure his parents were taken care of if he never returned.

Clearly, Pat, 91.5-years-old, of "Pat's Lunch" in Stone Harbor, NJ made it home and with nothing but a lifetime of experience packed in his G.I. bag.

Like many fellows returning from the war, Pat wanted a woman (specifically Italian because he wanted to be able to eat well) and needed work. He did indeed find both, though in the beginning, as he says, "I couldn't even buy her an ice cream cone."

It was this Italian Catholic woman's traditional father with a "no money, no marriage" policy who landed Pat his first job in a restaurant, a restaurant next to the family house in Wildwood, NJ.

From there, Pat moved up in the ranks of the restaurant business, eventually moving away to open a new place in Stone Harbor. While his homemade seafood soups are one-of-a-kind and his lobster rolls, have nothing but lump lobster meat on them, my favorite part of Pat's story is that he is the sole owner and employee of Pat's Lunch... at almost 92.

Pat is in his store at 5 a.m. everyday whipping up his creations for droves of summer shore-goers. With his new Cadillac parked outside, you know that Pat is in his element, making soup and telling stories. Before John and I walk out the door, Pat says to us,"My doctor says I should never stop working. He says it's what keeps me going."* Hmmm... where have I heard that before... Sue Shuma**...

What a generation. What a frickin' amazing generation.

*sidenote: Jen Bilec goes to a financial planner. Financial planner says, "You should think about a retirement plan." Jen Bilec says, "Haha. Retire?"

**my almost 93-year-old grandma


All five of my cameras stayed home on this trip. Photos by John McClellan on his *cough* Canon.