City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Patrick Sheldon Hughes
Raleigh, North Carolina
Age 73.
Died 08/18/2023.
Patrick was born in Fort Dix, New Jersey to Elmer and Kathleen Hughes on September 17, 1949. He graduated from La Plata High School in 1967 in La Plata, Maryland. Patrick attended UNC-Chapel Hill as an undergraduate and received his BA in Biology in 1969. At this time, he was Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of Student Legislation while also working full-time at the Dairy Bar as a waiter/cook.
He received a Masters degree in Entomology from NCSU in 1973. Between his time at UNC and N.C State, Patrick worked at Burroughs-Welcome Pharmaceutical Company in Research Triangle Park. He also had jobs at Coastal Carolina Community College as a math and biology teacher and at a private school in Sallsburg, Penn as a teacher. Patrick furthered his education at NC State and received a Doctorate in Education. He was given an award by Phi Kappa Phi for having a 4.0 average. He also received a National Science Foundation grant while attending NCSU.
He played the trumpet earlier in life, and joined a band called The Warringtons in 1967, which consisted of his hometown's local musicians who needed a trumpeter at the time. Patrick auditioned for the band, and played “The Lonely Bull” by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. The band, impressed by Patrick’s talent, chose him as a member. He played with the band for a few years. Patrick looks back at this time as some of his best years . Later on in his life, he learned to play guitar and enjoyed writing his own songs. He was known for playing open-mic nights in the Triangle area.
In March 1990, he met Will, his longtime companion and spouse. Since their time together, they enjoyed trips to Savannah, Charleston, New York City and New Orleans, where Pat fell in love with the "Second Line" parades on the streets blasting Dixieland and Ragtime jazz. They also traveled to Paris together in 1999. His favorite local spot was Wrightsville Beach, where he & Will spent much time together. Patrick also enjoyed swimming, weightlifting, gardening, beach trips and cooking. He also enjoyed throwing Christmas parties, and was known for his homemade pizza. Pat loved summertime and being outdoors, and could usually be found collecting species of insects and identifying them. He loved music from the 1960's, especially Louis Armstrong, Herb Alpert and the Rolling Stones. He also loved classic literature, his favorites being A Catcher in the Rye and the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Pat often had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed being the practical joker. He had a kind and gentle spirit and loved and valued his family and friends.
Patrick was preceded in death by his father, Elmer Gustavus Hughes and his mother, Dorothy Kathleen Hughes. He is survived by his partner of 33 years, Will Summerlin. Also his two brothers Elmer (wife: Julie) and Jeff (wife: Nikki), his niece, Lola and his sister-in-law, Debra Jo.
A celebration of the life of Patrick Hughes will be held on Saturday, Sept. 9th at Westover Barber Shop in Raleigh, NC. Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm, followed by a reception. Flowers and other condolences may be sent to Westover Barber Shop ahead of the service time.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.