Patricia Kenny

Patricia Ann Kenny, 90, of Ramsey, died on Sunday, November 21, 2021. Born in Cresskill, she attended high school at the Academy of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, N.J., and entered the Sisters of Charity upon her graduation in June of 1949.  Pat graduated from the College of Saint Elizabeth, with a B.S. degree in Education and completed a Masters in Library Science at Catholic University. She taught elementary and middle grades at St. Aloysius School in Jersey City for several years. She was then assigned to care for children at St. Mary’s Orphanage in Newark where she served as a house parent, teacher and administrator for 10 years. After leaving the Sisters of Charity in 1969, she completed a M.S. in Social Work from Rutgers University and worked for Essex County Welfare and the Nutley Public Schools as a social worker. She taught parenting classes to foster parents as an adjunct professor at Essex County Community College until 1975, when she became a school social worker in the Oakland Public School System, where she worked until she retired in 1998.  

Pat and her former husband, Aiden Kenny, raised their daughters, Amy and Meghan in West Milford, NJ, and were active members of the Awosting Community on Greenwood Lake. In the summer months, Pat enjoyed playing tennis, spending time on the lake, and volunteering at her children’s swim meets. She also served as the Association Treasurer and coordinated the Ladies’ Luncheons for many years. Pat enjoyed the many hours she spent on the sidelines and in the bleachers watching her girls compete in swimming, tennis, softball, soccer, and basketball over the years. She loved to entertain and to share the lake with family and friends.

Pat’s greatest joy was her family, and she relished the role of “nanny” more than any other. She will be remembered for her tireless advocacy for all children, as well as for her kindness, compassion and generosity.

Patricia is survived by her daughters Meghan Kenny and her husband Ryan,  Amy Kenny-Whritenour and her husband Dave, and her 5 grandchildren: Allie and Emily Kenny, Luke, Mark and Sarah Whritenour. She is predeceased by her parents, Pierce and Mary, her sister, Nancy Brown, and her niece, Geraldine Brown Buffington.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 3:30 pm with a service at 3:30 on Sunday, December 5, 2021 at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home,  www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ.

Cremation will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Alzheimer's Association.

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