Patricia Anne Tolan of Quogue Dies April 24

Patricia Anne Tolan nee Keary (“Pat”) of Quogue died on April 24, following a battle with cancer. She died peacefully at home surrounded by her husband of 68 years, James Tolan (“Jim”) and her children and grandchildren. She was 89.

She was the daughter of Margaret Gilsenan, County Cavan, Ireland, and Michael Keary, County Galway, Ireland.

She was the beloved wife of Jim, and cherished mother of Margaret, Patricia (John) Cunningham, James (Laird) and Matthew (Melanie). She was predeceased by her daughter Kathleen and great-grandson Gideon.

She was born in the Bronx on November 2, 1935. She attended Our Lady of Assumption School, graduated from Aquinas High School and immediately entered the workforce as a legal secretary.

She supported her husband through college and law school and “retired” to raise her five children. As the matriarch of the Tolan family, she created a loving home in Pelham Manor, New York, for her children, brothers and sister, nieces and nephews, and friends. Her homes were always filled with flowers, kindness, children and dogs. She opened her home to many, including a child from Belfast, Northern Ireland one summer with whom she remained in contact throughout her life.

Her volunteer work was extensive over the years, including being president of the Women’s Civil Support Division of the Legal Aid Society.

According to her family, she loved her husband, and their love for each other was a constant in their family’s life and served as an inspiration to all who knew them.

Her beautiful blue eyes shone with love and laughter for all of her life, her family said. She was authentic and totally happy in her own skin. She was equally at ease meeting both Pope John Paul II and the President of the United States as she was sitting in the upper deck of Yankee stadium during the 1976 World Series. Her love of family and friends was unconditional, they said. Pat was a friend to all and a mother to many. To be loved by Pat was a gift.

In addition to her husband and children, she is survived by her grandchildren, Kristin, James, Keary, Courtney, Kevin, Katie, Jenny, Tommy, Hannah, Julia, Celia, Jamie, Morgan, Owen, Brady, Christopher and Annie, and her great-granddaughter, Blythe.