Patrick Halloran understood how things are built to last.
A mason, farmer, veteran, businessman, husband, father and grandfather, Patrick built a life rooted in craft, faith and service. And over the years, he became one of The Selfhelp Home’s most unexpected and deeply meaningful friends.
Patrick was not born into the Selfhelp community. He found it.
Having grown up in Chicagoland and known Holocaust survivors as a child, he felt a deep connection to Selfhelp’s history and mission after reading about Selfhelp in a periodical. That chance reading formed a connection that evolved into years of steady generosity.
Though he and Halloran Masonry provided monthly gifts and quiet support whenever we called, Patrick’s support was never only financial.
As a masonry expert, Patrick walked the building with our board members, offering thoughtful observations and reassurances about Selfhelp’s “good bones.”
Jim Gimpel, Board Member and Chair of the Facilities Committee, remembers Patrick fondly, “From the moment I met Patrick, even before I knew anything about him, he struck me as being a special person; there was just something about him.”
That’s the impression Patrick seemed to leave with everyone.
“It’s an overused expression, but he was just a mensch in every way,” said Austin Hirsch. “[Selfhelp] expanded his world, but he expanded ours.”
“Selfhelp expanded his world, but he expanded ours.”
During Patrick’s annual trips to Chicago, he would join members of The Selfhelp Home’s Board of Directors for dinner in Glenview. Gathering around the table with the group became a cherished ritual.
For Ethan Bensinger, the bond was especially rare.
“We really developed a strong personal bond over Judaism, over the Bible, over Israel,” Ethan recalled. “Patrick and I spent many hours over breakfasts and elsewhere, talking about the affairs of the world, about solutions for the Israel-Palestine question, about passages from the bible. That created a very special relationship.”
At Patrick’s funeral in Georgia—where he was buried under a mighty oak and flanked by his beloved horses—Ethan had a chance to share the quiet but impactful difference Patrick made on Holocaust survivors and Jewish residents hundreds of miles away.
Patrick once said, “When people come to me in need, I fix things. My word is everything. My faith is everything.”
In his own language, through his own faith, Patrick lived the spirit of tikkun olam. He helped repair what he could. He stood with people who needed him. And at Selfhelp, his legacy will continue to be an important part of ours.
Patrick’s contributions to The Selfhelp Home will forever be memorialized in our Historical Installation. In one of his final and most meaningful acts of kindness, Patrick generously sponsored our Historical Installation.
Patrick passed away in April 2026 and is survived by his wife of 55 years, two children, six grandchildren, and a great-grandson.
