Patricia Henderson

Obituary Patricia Muriel Henderson
“I live simply, so that others may simply live” P.Henderson
Our beloved Patricia Muriel Henderson departed this life peacefully at age 105 at St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly at The Little Sisters of the Poor in Totowa, NJ on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
Patricia is survived by her sister Kathleen Henderson DuHaime, 99 years of Princeton, NJ and many devoted and loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and a myriad of friends. Pat’s brother Laurence Henderson predeceased her at the age of eighty-two, on January 27, 2010, in Naples, Fl.
Patricia was born in New York City on September 26, 1916. Her father Robert was first generation Scottish and her mother Edith, American.
Pat attended the Collegiate School in Passaic NJ and the Alliance francaise de Paris, where her family spent two years, before moving to the UK, settling in Epsom, Surrey for twenty years, where Pat attended the Sacred Heart Convent School.
In 1939, when WWII broke out, Patricia joined the British Red Cross and trained as a nurse. She then transferred to the Royal British Navy and was stationed in Australia, serving as an ambulance driver transporting the wounded for the duration of the war.
In 1948, her family moved back to the US, temporarily settling in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Shortly after their arrival, her father died of cancer.
In 1949, her family moved to Ridgewood, NJ, to be closer to her mother’s family in Passaic, where she would live for the next 60 years.
Patricia worked in NYC, at the Belgian American Bank, using her bilingual skills of excellent French, and then European- American Bank, where she worked until she retired in 1990.
Patricia lived in Ridgewood NJ for over 50 years and was a parishioner of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish. Patricia was an active member in her church and was an ordained Eucharistic Minister. Among her many activities there, she brought Holy Communion to the home bound and to patients at the Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. Pat was also instrumental in initiating the Perpetual Adoration Ministry and a founding member of Our Lady of Peace Prayer Group, hosting members at her home for 12 years and in 2011, she was recognized for her 25 years of service with the Rosary Alter Society at a banquet.
She was active in the Right to Life movement, participating in the annual Respect for Life March in Washington, DC well into her 80’s. She took an active role in her community and at age 85, organized a community wide yard sale donating all the proceeds to the Good Counsel Home for expectant mothers in Hoboken, NJ. In her 80’s she took Spanish language classes to better communicate with a growing Latin American population in her parish.
Patricia selflessly devoted much of her time to caring for her mother Edith and her Aunt Helen in their advanced years and enjoyed a life filled with loving nieces and nephews, devoted siblings, her sister Kathleen Marie Henderson DuHaime, her brother Laurence Henderson and many loving friends.
Patricia’s legacy extends beyond her family and friends, touching so many lives with kindness, love, and charity, which could always be found in her home at 409 George Street; a holy and blessed place to dwell and to visit.
In 2019, at age 101, Pat’s long-standing wish to move to the St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly, The Little Sisters of the Poor, was granted. Since her move, the wonderful Sisters have graciously cared for Pat.
Friends and family are invited to attend the wake for Patricia Henderson at Feeney Funeral Home 232 Franklin Ave. Ridgewood, NJ on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 at 2-4pm and 7-9pm.
A Requiem Mass for Patricia will be held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Ridgewood on November 29, 2021 at 10:00AM where all are welcome. A private burial will follow at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be sent to support the sisters at The Little Sisters of the Poor in Totowa, 140 Shepard Lane, Totowa, NJ 07512-2188 www.littlesisitersofthepoortotowa.org

The Requiem Mass will be live streamed on 11/29/21 at 10:00 AM. Please click on the following link to view the live stream:
https://olmcridgewood.com/