Patricia Kell McConnell

Patty was born on November 17, 1925, in Monessen, PA, the daughter of Sue Carolyn Provins and Raymond William Kell. She graduated from Charleroi High School in 1943 and Penn State University in 1947 with a BA Degree in Commerce and Finance. While at Penn State, Patty was an active member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority where she attained her lifelong passion for duplicate bridge and dancing to the Big Bands. Upon graduating from college, Patty accepted a job with Eastern Airlines as the Assistant to the Manager and moved to Charleston, WV. It was there that she met her future husband William C. McConnell, Jr. After 6 months of dating, they wed in 1951 and were married for 65 years.

Patty and Bill created a wonderful life together; raising five children, four grandchildren and a menagerie of pets in Chagrin Falls, OH, Milwaukee, WI, Whitmore Lake, MI, Sanibel, FL, and Chatham, MA. Yet it was a trip to Cape Cod during their first year of marriage that built a lifetime of summer memories for their family. Patty adored Chatham; the afternoons sunbathing and grilling on the Outer Bar, sailing in Bill's Marshall catboat “Patty”, entertaining neighborhood friends, collecting sandwich glass, Thanksgiving Treasure Hunts and the lifelong friendships formed at the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club and Eastward Ho! Country Club.

Patty had a life well-lived and well-loved. Her many hobbies included designing holiday floral arrangements, piano playing, knitting sweaters for her grandchildren, painting floor rugs and furniture, rug-hooking, needlepointing, weaving Nantucket Baskets, playing golf and duplicate bridge.

She never gave a second thought to her age and felt that the key to living is having friendships spanning different ages, staying flexible and telling it like it is. As the daughter to an English father, she had a love for all things British especially High Tea with a scone and clotted cream, a glass of port and stilton cheese after dinner and most importantly good manners!

She was fortunate to travel, and on a trip to Australia, Patty stumbled upon her favorite Aboriginal philosophy:

“We are all visitors

to this time, this place.

We are just passing through.

Our purpose here is to observe,

to learn, to grow, to love...

and then we return Home.”

She is survived by William C. McConnell III of Hamburg, Mich.; Megan McConnell of Lafayette, Colo.; Catherine McConnell (Tim Bailey) of Chatham; and Cameron (Mark) Sperry of Sanibel, Fla., and her four grandchildren: Annie (Kevin) Hunter of Broomfield, Colo.; Cameron Mayo of Hong Kong; Henry Bailey and William Bailey of Chatham. She was predeceased by her son Bruce Cabbut McConnell in 2008 and her husband William C. McConnell, Jr. in 2017.