Obituary of Patricia Terese Keenan McGuire

Patricia Terese Keenan McGuire died gently in Hillsborough, North Carolina, on April 19, 2024, a beautiful spring evening, leaving the loving arms of family and friends to join all who had gone before her. 

‘Patsy’ as a young girl, Tricia in early marriage, and ‘Pat’ for the majority of her days, was born April 6, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York and christened 22 days later.    The youngest of eight, Pat was pre-deceased by all her siblings and was, at the end, the longest lived of all.  Pat was a font of sayings and expressions, dates - every birthday, wedding, christening of her large family of sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews and as many of their inlaws as she could collect details on - lullabies, and bits and pieces of the lives of those who crossed her path.  Pat was, proud of her resourcefulness, of being a truckman’s daughter, and challenged by her tendency to live by her heart and not her head, of her neices and nephews and their familes with whom she kept in contact for decades as their own lives advanced.  Pat loved her family and spent her life seeking and embracing knowledge, sharing common sense, and celebrating the joy of creativity and beauty, big and small, ordinary and grand. But, mostly ordinary.  She mastered the cooking of fresh vegetables after retirement, never learned to bake a good cake, but appreciated greatly those who could.   

Pat’s first job was selling gloves at A&S over the Christmas holiday.  Everafter, she could wrap a package perfectly.  After graduating from St. Saviours, she spent 10 years and made good friends in her work as a clerk at the Royal Insurance Company in Manhattan, then turned her attention to being a wife to Russ McGuire , who predeceased her by 40 years, and mom to Russ III (Sallie), Bill (Debi), Gerry (Tracy), Trish (Joe), and Karyn (Dave).   Pat and Russ's move to Maryland in 1962 began Pat's identity as a Marylander, but she may never have given up seeing herself as a New Yorker.  One of her favorite quips was "there are two kinds of people in the world.  Those who come from Brooklyn and those who wish they did."  Pat returned to work on Russ’s disability retirement and showed her kids her strengths as she collected items to recycle and sell for scrap, delivered telephone books, and newspapers, and somehow kept the bill collectors at bay before joining the Prince Georges County School food services system, from which she retired in 1989.  She is survived by her children and their kids and grandkids, Jasmine, Anne, Jason, Jamie, Zach, Russ IV, Kevin, Ryan, Sam, Wren, Destiny, Cameron, Scott, Payton, Bella, Harley, Clara, James, and Wyatt, and the kids and grandkids of her brothers and sisters too many to name.   Pat was a great friend to Raymond Grady, and enjoyed years of visits to Bethany Beach, learning about researching family history at the National Archives, following Antiques Road Show, Rachel Maddow, enjoying moveies and meals at La Madeleine, and travels to New Hampshire, Florida, New York before Raymond’s death in 2017.

A lifelong lover of music, Pat sang in the choir at Mt. Calvary in Forestville, Maryland, and listened to the Metropolitan weekly radio opera whenever her busy schedule of visiting family allowed, loved Beverly Sills and sang along with as many of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s tunes as she could find time for.  Pat dabbled at the keyboard and aspired to mastering the piano.  She had  a great voice and a really good ear and when dementia limited her speaking, she could still tap her foot in time to Mozart. She faithfully served as secretary of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Pius X Council of the Knights of Columbus for several years, sold hot dogs at REdskins games, and delivered meals for Montgomery County Meals on Wheels. 

Pat loved driving and her cars are part of the life story, the green dodge, the rambler, - the hiatus when she did not drive after moving to Maryland, the bus, fiesta 1, the civic, the escort, fiesta2.  She was still driving the Beltway at 90 and only stopped when she feared she might put herself or others in danger.

At 5’2”, with lovely green eyes and a shock of white hair, Pat was our very own leprechaun.  She shared some of her passions, and interests, and secrets, and has left behind some who are really good at ironing, several who appreciate beautiful fabric, skillfully sewn, and many who love to learn about the past and their families and yearn to know more and others who expect to let it remain a mystery.

As she wished, there will be a funeral mass and graveside service in advance of her burial with Russ at Holy Cross Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.  Those wishing to make contributions in her memory should consider the thing that reminds them of Pat.