Quinn Moss

Patricia Quinn Moss, age 67, of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, passed away on October 13, 2024, surrounded by family. Quinn will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, known for her compassion, generosity, gentleness, curiosity, sharp intelligence, adventurous spirit, and courage. Quinn was a longtime partner at the international law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where she co-headed the Global Private Investment Funds Group before retiring in 2022.

Born on February 2, 1957, in Garrison, NY, Quinn was the eighth of ten children born to William John Moss and Kathryn Casale Moss. She academically excelled, from Northfield Mount Hermon and Phillips Exeter, to Harvard University and Fordham Law School. As a young lawyer, she practiced law in Japan before joining Orrick, where she led the Funds Group. She was particularly proud of her work championing economic resilience in low-income communities through the firm’s Opportunity Zone initiative and its Impact Finance and Investment Group. She was the lead author of “Fundraising Terms and Conditions: Legal Developments in Key Countries” in Private Equity and Venture Capital – Regulation and Good Practice.

Quinn’s dedication extended beyond her career, leaving a lasting impact on her community. She served on the Croton-Harmon Education Foundation (CHEF) board, was a member of the Croton Sustainable Energy Cooperative steering committee, and taught Sunday school at Holy Name of Mary Church. She also served as a director and corporate secretary for the High Water Women Foundation, which empowered low-income youth through education and advocated for the economic advancement of women and children.

Quinn was a lifelong athlete and lover of the outdoors. She captained her tennis team at Exeter and rowed at Harvard. She rode horseback across Wyoming and Ireland, trekked through the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, faced off with a rhinoceros, skied the slopes in Hokkaido, sailed in the Caribbean, and snorkeled in the Aegean sea.

Together with her husband, she nurtured this love for adventure in her children as a devoted soccer/basketball/badminton/cross country mom, avid tennis player, and resolute hockey fan.

A woman of many passions, Quinn had a rare instinct for creating moments of meaning and beauty with all who met her, always sharing stories, songs, recipes, traditions, dances. Her love of music and dance was vast, from Balkan singing and folk dancing, to organizing trips to the Glimmerglass Opera Festival with family and friends every summer for 26 years. She painted landscapes, and won third place in the New York Bar Association’s painting exhibit.

Quinn was predeceased by her father, William John Moss, and her sisters, Elizabeth Moss Bradley and Susan Moss Homola. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, Kai Sheng; her children, Sophia Sheng, William Sheng, and Mary Susan Sheng; her mother, Kathryn Casale Moss; her sisters, Mary Moss Appleton, Catherine Moss Warner, Amy Moss, and Barbara Moss; her brothers, John Moss, Gerard Moss, and Hugh Moss; as well as her 18 nieces and nephews.

Together with her husband and children, Quinn created a “Garden of Hope” on the hilltop of her home—a living testament to her love for beauty, family, and her unwavering optimism for a better future. Her laugh lives in the soughing leaves; her voice in the rushing wind and streams. She is treasured and sorely missed.

The memorial service will be held at the Center at Mariandale in Ossining at 9:30am. Saturday, October 26. Memorial donations to Croton Caring, the Cancer Research Institute, or the American Indian College Fund would be appreciated by the family.