Wauwatosa resident is mega ‘Fanilow’
Barry Manilow fan surprised with concert tickets
By Karen Pilarski - Freeman Staff Aug 8, 2024 Updated Aug 8, 2024
WAUWATOSA — Patsy Schinner has loved singer Barry Manilow for decades. Some would call her a “Fanilow” or accuse her of having Manilow mania. For Patsy she is just simply a huge admirer of him.
“He means the world to me. His music makes me happy,” Schinner said. As she explains it, Barry has a special gift of being able to speak to his fans through music — he understands them and lifts them up. The crooner holds a special place in the St. Camillus resident’s heart. Schinner remembered when her father was battling cancer, she felt devastated and sad. It was a good friend who stepped up to help her though it.
“She said she was going to make me happy. She knew how much I loved Barry so she got tickets,” Schinner said. Schinner remembered the first time she saw him in Milwaukee. “It was like he (Manilow) pulled me into another world for a couple of hours,” she said. She last saw Manilow perform in the 1970s with a friend. During the concert, a man tapped her shoulder and asked her name. The man asked if Schinner realized she had sang every word to every song at the top of her lungs. Schinner told him the music makes her happy and “if you love the man as I do, it isn’t hard.” The man was part of Manilow’s security team and asked her if she would like to meet Barry. Unfortunately, Barry was too exhausted to meet anyone. Schinner asked the man to tell him that “he has a dear friend that will always care about him.”
To this day, Schinner is a fierce defender of her fandom. She comes from a large family and worked at the family business for over 40 years. One of her brothers used to playfully tease her when Manilow was coming to town. “That is the only time I will get really mad. I will defend him until that day I die,” she said.
When Patsy needs a Manilow fix, her St. Camillus family is right there for her. Once a week the recreation director at St. Camillus plays Barry Manilow and Schinner is able to have “Barry time” for at least a half an hour. The music lifts the clouds away when she is feeling blue or had a tough day. Bridget McNair, research and life enrichment director at St. Camillus, said everyone knows about Schinner’s love for Barry. Schinner runs the flower shop and people on campus have discovered how much of a fan she is. The staff wanted to find a Barry Manilow tribute performer to come to campus but were not successful.
“We found out the real deal was coming to Milwaukee,” McNair said. Sheila Muencheberg, assisted living recreation therapy manager, Becky Steinke, administrator for assisted living, and Amber Donovan, COO, worked together to make the concert a go for Patsy. Schinner has seen Manilow in concert four times. She was surprised with a chance to see Manilow perform live for the fifth and final time. The staff at St. Camillus came together to ensure Patsy secured tickets for Barry’s farewell tour. She described his voice as beautiful even at 81 years young. On Saturday, the singer performed at Fiserv Forum and was dancing up a storm. The Manilow expert noted how he certainly knows how to react to the audience.
Schinner was hooked from the opening number “It’s a Miracle.” McNair attended the concert with Patsy. “She was screaming her head off. She was screaming out loud along with everybody else,” McNair said. Bridget, through tears, said she thought she was “taking Patsy to the concert” but in the end Patsy through her happiness “took her to the concert.”
