Patrice Marie Jordan

Long-time Great Kills resident Patrice Jordan (nee Dunne), 91, a retired New York City Board of Education middle school English teacher, died September 21st at home. Patrice was born in the Bronx in 1928. As a child she often roller skated to Fordham Road with her younger sister Katharine, and hiked to the Palisades across the George Washington Bridge with her sister and her cousin Johnny. She was proud to be a Girl Scout, and always remembered the bird, tree and flower identification skills she learned to earn bird finder, rambler and naturalist badges and her adventures as a Sea Scout. She cherished spending happy summers at Jones Beach, and at a family summer bungalow in Great Kills. She attended Mount St. Ursula Academy in the Bronx. Patrice graduated from Fordham University's downtown Manhattan campus in 1949, where she met her future husband, John, a fellow member of the school alumni chorus. They married in 1956 and lived in Yorkville in Manhattan and in the Bronx before moving to Grant City with their first three children in the early 60s, and welcoming a fourth child. The family moved to Annadale, where their fifth child was born, and also lived in Bay Terrace before settling in Great Kills in the 1970s. Patrice worked as a court officer for Manhattan's juvenile court system before becoming a substitute teacher in 1955. Upon moving to Staten Island, she worked as a librarian for Mount Loretto for several years, and her children recall that she sometimes invited students to join the family for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. She began teaching English at Morris Intermediate School in Castleton Corners in the early 70s, and worked there until her retirement in 1991. She touched the lives of hundreds of students. Many will remember her fondly for her care and deep interest in their well-being, as well as for her sense of humor. While teaching, she got her Master's degree at Richmond College, and upon retirement taught remedial English classes at the College of Staten Island and adult literacy classes for the New York Public Library, and obtained a second Master's degree at CSI. Patrice loved animals and adopted several dogs and cats over the years. She was an avid gardener and swimmer. She won medals for swimming in the S.I. Senior Olympics in 2008, 2009 and 2010. She was a lifelong learner, learning to drive and sail in her fifties, and taking piano lessons in her 20s and again in her sixties and seventies. She frequently attended UFT-sponsored classes for retirees in Manhattan and Staten Island. She was an avid reader of history and literature, enjoyed attending the opera, traveling, listening to classical music, sailing, watching tennis, rooting for the Yankees, and spending time with her family, especially preparing holiday meals. Patrice was predeceased by her husband and her son Christopher. She is survived by her sister, Katharine Dunne, two daughters, Patrice Jordan and Alexandra Artuso, two sons, Andrew (Denise) and David, and three grandchildren Alec, Allison and Christopher Jordan. A memorial service will be held at the Scalia Home for Funerals on Staten Island, Saturday, September 28th from 2-4 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Operation Smile, www.operationsmile.org.

Patrice Marie Jordan

January 31, 1928 - September 21, 2019