Obituary of Patricia Perkins

Patricia Anne Curran Perkins

Of Brooklyn, New York, passed away unexpectedly at home on May 7 at age 78.  Born in 1942 as the eldest child and only daughter of Lucille L. and William E. Curran, Pat grew up outside Rochester in Spencerport, New York.  Having reached her full height by age 12, she spent her adolescence trying to keep her three rambunctious younger brothers in line so she could get back to reading.  As a sophomore at Harpur College in Binghamton, Pat heard President Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address and took his call to service to heart.  Pat was proud to be the third generation of women in her family to graduate from college, and the first to receive a master’s degree.  Upon graduation, and after taking some time to help welcome the Beatles to New York at Kennedy Airport in February of 1964, Pat joined the New York City Bureau of Welfare Services, and then Child Welfare, later renamed the Administration of Children’s Services.  Pat served the city as a social worker for more than thirty years, pounding the pavement all over Brooklyn every day to visit mothers and children traumatized by poverty and abuse in the community she loved.  A devoted mother to--Zachary Perkins (Mimi Vicente) and Susan Epstein (Jason Flanders); and Leslie Perkins (Colin McKewan) and Djuna Perkins (Josh Coben)—and foster mother to countless stray cats and dogs, “the children that don’t answer back.”  Pat never met a cat she didn’t like—or a clipping from a new plant, a good novel, a day spent in nature, or a perfectly good piece of furniture she found on the street.  Pat loved to travel and the arts, and enjoyed spending time at concerts, theater productions, museums and gardens.  In her retirement, Pat focused on philanthropic activities and spent many hours volunteering at her parish, Our Lady of Grace Church. Above all, Pat was loving, proud, and invested in her six grandchildren:  Stephanie, Hannah, William, Rena, Nathaniel and Theo.  In addition to her children and grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, Pat is survived by her brothers, W. James (Jean), Daniel L. (Joanne) and John F. Curran (Connie). 

A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers (which Pat thought were profligate), donations may be made to Animal Care Centers of NYC or Covenant House.

May she rest in peace and her memory be for a blessing.