‘The one and only...’

By Ellen Munson of St. Cloud

Pat often refers to himself as “The one and only”… this being true, as Pat is quite comical, soft spoken, and above all, he is a walking, talking miracle.

Pat was born in South Carolina and then moved to Louisville, Ky., at age 2. He was child number five, his twin brother being number six, in a family of seven kids born to Edward and Janet Munson. 

Pat and his fraternal twin brother, Mike, when they were young. Contributed photo.

Pat was born “normal,” having a fun, curious, and playful childhood. Then a horrific tragedy struck on June 5, 1972. While coming home from a friend’s house, Pat was running, along with his twin brother Mike, and brother John was riding his bike. They were on their way home for dinner and Pat ran across the street, not seeing the car that was about to hit him. Pat was thrown in the air and landed on his head. He was seven (almost eight) years old. He laid there for a while due to the location of this accident, and it was unclear if Pat would live through this or die at the tender age of seven.

Pat was in a coma, and he remained in this coma for a total of three months, waking up in September. And when he woke up, he was laughing. His physical body and brain function would never be the same, but Pat has remained carefree, goes with the flow, and still has many memories about “the good ole days.” He turned 60 years old on July 12, 2024…and if you ask Pat, “How old are you?” he always responds with, “Same age as my brother.”

After much rehabilitation and physical therapy, Pat does walk today. He has a limp as one leg is a bit shorter than the other, so he has special shoes made to help with his walking. He held different jobs throughout his younger years--mowing the lawn at home and for a nearby senior care center, and he also bagged groceries for Kroger Grocery store for many years. He even graduated from high school.

Pat and his fraternal twin brother, Mike, today, as they turned 60 years old together on July 12. Pat traveled to New Jersey so he and his brother Mike, who lives there, could celebrate together. Contributed photo

Pat lived with his parents until their passing. His dad passed in 2011, then Pat and his mom made the move to Tucson, Ariz. to be closer to his oldest sibling, Janet Mary. When his mom passed away in 2017, Pat came to St. Cloud, Minn. to live with his older brother John and his family. Due to rugs and staircases throughout the house, John thought it best to have Pat live in a group home and he now resides with three other men at J & J Homes in St. Cloud. He is a member of WACOSA and has social events Monday through Friday, each morning. He has made new friends as they play board games, watch movies and have lunch together. Also, Pat is on the Special Olympics bowling league, and enjoys this very much.

If Pat could have things his way, he would have pizza and Mountain Dew seven days a week. He spends Sundays with his brother John, and they always go out for pizza and Mountain Dew. His siblings have come to Minnesota to visit him and Pat has also flown to different states to visit them. Pat is very family oriented and spending time talking to or visiting them are the highlights of his life. He enjoys watching sports, especially football and University of Kentucky basketball. He really likes wearing the shirt of the opposing team, when the Vikings are playing, just to be funny. 

This past July, to celebrate the big 60, Pat visited his twin, Mike, in New Jersey.