“Ross woman missing for 3 decades found in Puerto Rico, police confirm.”

That was a Tribune-Review headline March 3. It was the kind of newsflash too common in this world, so much so that I normally might not have bothered with it. But for some reason, I was prompted to click this one. I’m glad I did.

The article told the story of a local woman named Patricia Kopta, who went missing in 1992, only to be found alive in Puerto Rico, age 83, with dementia. “It’s sad,” says her husband, Robert. “I went through a lot, believe me. Every time they’d find a body somewhere, (I wondered) ‘Is it Patricia?’ I come home one night, and she’s gone, and nobody knew where she was at. … She just walked away. Didn’t say goodbye or nothing.”

As I read on, the article related the following, which will jog the minds of many Pittsburghers: “Patricia Kopta was a well-known street preacher throughout the Pittsburgh area and was commonly referred to as ‘The Sparrow.’ She held jobs at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Plate Glass, but soon she gave in to her urge to preach to people full time, often warning them the world was coming to an end.”

The article had my attention, as did the photo, which showed a pretty lady in earlier and better days. I recognized her immediately. So would fellow alumni who may have seen her on the Pitt campus in the late 1980s, among other spots around Pittsburgh.

In fact, Patricia (I never knew her real name), who for some reason we called “the Sparrow Lady,” became notorious, often reported to police for blocking traffic, and sometimes barred from certain establishments. She thought she was doing God’s will, but most everyone else thought she was crazy.

The “Sparrow Lady” was always around, outside “The O,” up and down Forbes, outside Pitt Stadium, Primanti’s, the Cathedral of Learning. She insisted that the end was near, and we’d better be ready to meet our maker. Students laughed.

Personally, I thought she was homeless. Some called her “the bag lady.” I talked to her a few times. I didn’t like how drunk college students mocked her. I was struck by fellow writers at The Pitt News who, while priding themselves in their progressive compassion for the homeless and mentally ill, made fun of this poor woman.

I was the editorial page editor for The Pitt News, and I recall one of our writers doing a piece on the sudden disappearance of the Sparrow Lady, asking if “the end was near” for her. Perhaps the heavens had taken her up.

Well, according to the Trib article, not quite. Patricia was institutionalized about that time, and later released. “They’ll never do that to me again,” she told a friend.

Apparently, that was when she split. The Sparrow took flight to Puerto Rico.

“Patty thought she was doing God’s will and had a good heart,” a friend told the Trib. “She is a gentle spirit and a good and loving person.”

Like most of us, Patricia felt she was doing what’s right — what she believed was God’s will.

It’s easy to make fun of people, especially as boozed-up college students rolling out of a bar late at night. An added easy target is a street preacher warning about Armageddon and the state of your soul.

Nonetheless, the much-­maligned Sparrow Lady believed all of us were made in the Imago Dei. Kudos to Patricia for having a higher view of her neighbors than they did of her.

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