We all have a story...

Hi All,

I was shocked last night to read that Pat Chew, the owner/CEO of Classic Elite Yarns passed away recently, after a battle with leukemia.

In the years I've been here at Western Avenue, spoke with her only a handful of times, and never got to know much about her. In reading her obituary in The Sun, I am saddened that there was not more of a connection between herself and the artists community here.

Anyway, it caused me to reflect on how little I know about each of you, and made me want to extend a note of gratitude towards everyone who has joined this loosely tied community we call Western Ave. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Jay Hungate
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obituary from

Pat Chew
Pat Chew owner/CEO of Classic Elite Yarns in Lowell CAMBRIDGE Pat (Sullivan) Chew, owner and CEO of Classic Elite Yarns Inc, a leading presence among hand-knitting yarn companies in the US and Canada, lost her fierce battle against leukemia when she died at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, on May 16. Pat, who was 69, divided her time between homes in Stonington CT, and Cambridge, MA. Classic Elite Yarns, in Lowell MA, has for over 30 years brought innovation and elegant design to the world of hand-knitting, importing and packaging specialty and luxury fibers such as mohair, cashmere, silks, wools and cottons. Two books that collect knitting designs and patterns from Classic Elite Yarns, "Knitting the New Classics", and "Knitting Today's Classics", have remained in print for 15 years. A Red Sox enthusiast, Pat traveled yearly to spring training and rarely missed a home game. An avid sailor, Pat was a member of the Watch Hill Yacht Club, the New York Yacht Club and the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club. She was a competitive racer, and, when she learned that the garage of her Stonington home would be too small for her Watch Hill 15 boat, the Diva, she had a hole cut and beautifully framed in her dining room wall to accommodate its stern. Pat traveled to Australia and Italy for the America's Cup and helped found a committee to fund training for a women's sailing team for the Beijing Olympics. She was a founding member of the Westerly Center for the Arts and the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club. A gourmet cook, and extravagant gardener, Pat was known for growing too many tomatoes, winning too many trophies, making great Caesar salads, and for the 20 pound block of parmesan cheese she kept in her refrigerator. Pat maintained her own lobster pots and was known to serve meals with 5 or 6 lobsters per guest. A bird enthusiast, she installed a nest for ospreys on Quiambaug Cove, over which she kept watch through a telescope. Near the end of her life, Pat incorporated into her view a bluebird house with a video camera installed inside. She was predeceased by her former husband, William Chew, who passed away on January 5, 1998, and by their son, Daren Chew, who was lost at sea on June 29, 1994, while returning from the Newport-Bermuda race, in which he had placed 3rd. A memorial race, the Daren Chew 4th of July Memorial is held yearly at the Watch Hill Yacht Club. Pat leaves a loving daughter, Tamara Gorski, a son-in-law, Joseph Gorski; and two splendid grandchildren, Caitlin and Alec Gorski; a brother, Jeffrey Vendetti; and a wealth of devoted friends. CHEW Burial arrangements will be private, but a celebration of Pat's life will be held at the Watch Hill Chapel, 5 Bluff Ave., Westerly RI on June 29, 2008. To support Pat's love for sailing, a memorial fund has been established. Donations may be made to the Pat Chew Memorial Fund c/o Washington Trust Company, 23 Broad Street, Westerly, RI 02891.