Patricia Marguerite Hay, 82, Loving Wife, Mother and Friend
Patricia Marguerite Hay, 82, passed away peacefully at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J., on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, with her loving family at her bedside.
Born on September 15, 1941, in New York City, Patricia grew up playing with her sisters in Central Park and studying piano. She celebrated her graduation from Cathedral High School in Manhattan in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, with a full scholarship to Fordham University to study English. There, she met the love of her life, Jim Hay, and they became inseparable. They married in 1964 as Patricia completed her master’s degree at New York University, again with a full scholarship, while Jim completed his law degree at NYU.
Patricia enjoyed VIP hosting for TWA at JFK and worked for the Social Security Administration in Manhattan. After the birth of their second child, in 1969, the Hays moved from Brooklyn to Westfield, New Jersey, to raise their family.
The Hays have remained in Westfield, but Patricia loved to travel, so they explored the world together at every opportunity. Eventually, Patricia and Jim circumnavigated the planet via Regent Cruise Lines. Patricia especially loved Asia and the many cultural capitals like Rome, Sydney, Tokyo, New Delhi, Peking and Mexico City.
Starting in the early ’80s, to escape the winter blahs, the Hay clan began convening each year on St. John USVI to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy Patricia’s spaghetti and sausage. Patricia loved spending much time swimming with the grandchildren and building sandcastles with them on the beach. Only hurricanes and newborns could keep family members from these reunions.
Patricia enjoyed dancing (especially the Lindy Hop) with Jim. She also enjoyed tap dancing in Cranford, tennis in Mountainside, and her water aerobics group at the Westfield Area YMCA. Patricia could be seen very often in stands, on sidelines, and in theater seats cheering on her children and grandchildren. An avid reader, Patricia enjoyed current events, historical fiction and mysteries.
If she wasn’t on the road, Patricia was on the phone with her farflung family and friends. Her daughters treasured her wisdom and unconditional, selfless love.
Patricia was predeceased by her loving parents, Anne and James Gallagher. She was also predeceased by her beloved sisters, Eileen and Marie, and cousin Annemarie.
Surviving are her dearest husband of 60 years, Jim; her children, Bronwyn, Alexis, Nathalie and James; her sister, Nan; cousin, Patricia; adoring grandchildren, Charlotte, Loic, Aidan, Colin, Rowan, Caroline and David; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A memorial gathering will be held on Friday, May 24, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Dooley Colonial Home in Westfield. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 25, at 11 a.m., at the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Westfield.
May 16, 2024
