Patrick J. Durkin

Patrick was the son of Virginia Hewitt Durkin and William Austin Durkin, Jr. He grew up in Greenwich attending North Street School and Brunswick School. Sports were a big part of Pat’s youth, whether catching passes thrown by his twin brother Tim on the Greenwich Grenadiers football team, playing pond hockey at Bridges Nursery or golf at Greenwich Country Club. At Brunswick School Pat was the Captain of the Varsity Soccer Team and played four years of varsity soccer at Middlebury College in Vermont. More importantly, Pat was a leader being a perennial class President and volunteerism played an enormous role in his life. At Brunswick he organized student volunteers for The Nathaniel Witherell home and raised money for a South Korean orphanage, and later in life his volunteer activities ranged from helping at a homeless shelter in New York City to serving on the boards of the Red Cross and the National Wildlife Foundation.

After graduating from Middlebury College and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College Pat pursued a career in investment banking working with Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette, Credite Suisse, Barclays and most recently Atlas Merchant Capital. His business carried him around the world from working on telecommunication projects in South America to opening DLJ’s Moscow office. It was in Moscow where he met his wonderful wife Kristen Staples. Patrick was hosting a lavish event to celebrate their new office when he approached Kristen and asked her what she thought of the evening – her response was “Not enough caviar.” While Patrick was larger than life to many, Kristen kept him grounded and they enjoyed seventeen years of marriage together.

A successful banker, at heart Pat was a politician. Prior to business school he worked for Congressman Judd Gregg of New Hampshire and was a speech writer for Secretary of the Treasury Donald Regan. Later, Pat served on the Presidential Task Force of Market Mechanisms with former Senator Nicolas Brady and was a tireless campaigner and fund raiser for Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, and Senator John McCain, along with numerous candidates at the state and local levels. Everyone knew Pat and he could open doors that others found shut.

Most of all Pat was a husband and father. He loved his wife and children Luke, Austin and Kate more than anything in the world. Pat shared with his children his love for travel, the outdoors, sports and anything else that they could do together. Pat will always be with them whether skiing at Okemo Mountain, hiking through the fields and woods at the Durkin family farm or walking on Capitol Hill.

Along with his immediate family Pat leaves his mother Virginia Durkin, his brothers Bill and his wife Martha, Tim and his wife Liz, Tom and his wife Sue and Dan and his wife Susan, along with numerous nieces and nephews who will spend a lifetime telling stories about Uncle Pat.

Given the current circumstances no service is planned at this time. Notice will be provided at a later date as to where donations may be made in Patrick’s memory