WALL - Just inside the door of the funeral home, two boys with big red noses greeted visitors with a honk.
Further inside, there were floral arrangements and a wig arrangement -- tufts of hair colored bright red, orange, and gold.
The huge crowd flowed into the main sitting room to pay their respects. There at the front, in the place of honor, sat a homemade pair of red-and-white leather shoes. Oversized, of course.
It was a fitting memorial service for a clown. And Patrick Cashin was not just any clown: The Tinton Falls resident, an Old Bridge native, was one of the best in the business.
Cashin toured with Ringling Bros. Circus, amusing the masses from Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade to the packed thoroughfares of China. He performed for President Obama, making him laugh with an ad-lib about meat loaf. He spent countless hours in the children's wing of Jersey Shore Medical Center, including one Christmas Eve visit that witnesses will never forget.
How do you measure the impact of a clown's life? Pat Cashin, who died last month at just 48, might have made a million people smile.
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Cashin started out as a stand-up comedian. He became a clown at 30. In 1999 he got married in full clown regalia, the wedding taking place in the center ring at Madison Square Garden before a Ringling Bros. show.
"I think my husband packed a tremendous amount of living into 48 years," Terry Cashin said.
They had two boys together. Shane is 13 and James is 6. When he was off the clock. Pat would perform magic tricks and gags for them, for kids in the neighborhood, for whoever needed a laugh.
"He had a theory that nobody is actually scared of clowns, that they learn to be scared of clowns and you can unlearn to be scared of clowns," Terry Cashin said. "I saw it hundreds of times. Some kids would be scared at first. Next thing you know, they were giving him a hug goodbye."
Although he mastered sleight of hand and slapstick physical comedy, Cashin's ability to adjust to the moment served him best. He relished playing Santa Claus at Great Adventure, hospitals and malls around Christmastime.
"He would know exactly what to talk to each kid about," said Joe Barney, who worked with him at Six Flags. "Sometimes you get kids who want to get away from Santa. I had to pull the kids away from Pat. Kids would come out and say, 'That's the real Santa. Only the real Santa would know all the toys.'"
He hit the White House as part of a Halloween show for the first family in 2014. At one point Michelle Obama stepped away and the president wondered aloud where she was going. Pat chimed in without missing a beat.
"She's going inside to make meat loaf for dinner," the clown said, according to Terry. "Obama heard that and laughed."
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At the hospital, 'he lit up the unit'
Pat's love for clowning spilled into side pursuits. He served as president of the International Clown Hall of Fame, which is located in Wisconsin. He mentored young and aspiring clowns, always a stickler for detail and tradition.
"He loved teaching the art and carrying on the legacy," said Joey Klein, an 18-year-old from North Caldwell. "I was lucky enough to have Pat convince me to make clown shoes."
He also bought the Captain Kangaroo trademark, which somehow had lapsed, and was reviving the iconic character through performances and plans for a TV show.
But the gig he treasured most was visiting the K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune.
"He lit up the unit when he came in here," said Ann Marie Conte, the hospital's nurse manager of pediatrics. "He could bring the best out of the worst situation."
One Christmas Eve there, Cashin was making his rounds as a clown when he came across a special case: a badly injured boy who had been abused by his father. So the clown who had performed for 20,000 people at a time ran through his entire repertoire for an audience of one. He stayed until nearly 9 p.m.
"He stayed with that child like it was his own family member," Conte said.
Since learning of Pat's passing, Conte said, "The staff is devastated. He was someone who truly made a difference."
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A clown's legacy
The cause of Cashin's death won't be known until autopsy results come back. He wasn't feeling well for a week or so in mid-July. One day Terry and the boys went out, and they returned to find him unresponsive on the couch.
Clowns from all over attended his memorial service. They dressed as civilians, showing the faces behind the makeup.
"When Pat would perform in the circus he was anonymous," Michael Rossman, of Baltimore, said. "If Pat performed as Pat, he would be recognized all over the place."
That's probably true. But the wild wigs and jumbo shoes enabled Pat Cashin to tickle countless hearts. From the president to an ailing child, this clown left folks a little happier than he found them. It's an awesome legacy.
Carino's Corner appears Mondays in the Asbury Park Press. Contact Jerry at jcarino@gannettnj.com.