Although much time has passed since Pat's departure from us,  I still haven't fully accepted his  death. I miss him, his welcoming smile, the straight forwardness of his values and  his  insightful responses to  the lives around us. I so enjoyed working with him all those years and miss the warmth and caring of his presence to this minute, this day.

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I can't believe it's already two years since Pat left us! I think of him often and still remember his radiant smile and hearty laughter! He was an inspiring wonderful friend and I miss his presence in my life.  I look forward to celebrating Pat's amazing contribution to the New School at the 50th Anniversary in April.

I was priviledge to have Pat as a teacher when I started New school in 1975. His classes were always interesting and informative. I also grew so much as a person and Pat was so influential in my life.  I named my youngest son after Pat and he is now 34 years old! Pat and I also became friends during the three years I attended. The final year, 1978 I was a part time support staff at New School. Some of best times in my life. 
I just found out of his passing and I want to extend my most sincere thoughts and sympathies to Vincent and his son Jason.
Karen Sullivan (Albiston) New School 1975-1978

Just a short message to say I think of you always you  are  simply unforgettable dear to my heart such a great guy ..Peace and Love ❤

Mon amour;Il y'a un an le 13 mars, tu quittais ce monde...Bien sur que tu me manques.....Malgré tout, je continues à bien vivre....Tu serais, comme toujours, fier de moi; marche,entrainement,lectures,tant en anglais qu'en français....Bref,des habitudes que tu as toi même pratiquées tout au long de ta vie....Je te demande juste de me faire une petite place à tes cotés au ciel.....Car,tu sais, notre amour, c'est pour toujours......45 ans avec toi, va sans dire que ça ne s'oublies pas......Je t'aime...

Some of our fondest memories of Pat were Quebec City. We would leave our restaurant in Tilton, N.H. and go there to savor the fine dining and beautiful surroundings in the old city.
Pat would join us in our suite at the Hotel Bellevue for three or four days for shopping, relaxing, and, of course, eating.
Good times.
Guy and Rose

I just this day was made aware of the passing of Pat. I would like to extend my sympathy and condolences to his family and everyone that was touched by his kindness and humanity to others. I met Pat at the New School in the fall of 73, and had many conversations and interactions with him over the next two years. He always amazed me with his understanding and tolerance of issues and people, and only understood his contribution to my maturing and development many years later! Unfortunately I never expressed my gratitude to him for helping me through two important years in my life. There are few people that I can say influenced my thinking more in such a short period of time. R.I.P.  Pat
Brian Cargill  New School 73-75   


My condolences to Pat's family &  loved ones. As his student (New School) & friend, I will always remember his kindness, support & wicked sense of humour. I cherish the memories of Poetry Group, babysitting his son Jason, & evenings of good food & wine. A life well-lived & love well-done. Donna Sunstrum

My deepest condolences for the loss of a wonderful man. I knew Pat as a student in the 1990’s at New School. He had such a wonderful presence and wonderful smile. He emanated love and acceptance. When I’d run into him around town he always had a moment to chat and always had that wonderful presence. Thank you Pat for who you were, inspiring us all with your humanism, and showing us a better way to be.  

Pat was an amazing role model when I was his student at the New School in 1993-1995. He was one of the first gay elders (which is funny to think of him that way bc he was probably close to my age now.) He was so kind and thoughtful and provided so much care in school and out.  

advocate, activist,poet,teacher,one of the wisest people I have ever known, and so much more.I can never express to you how important it was for me to meet you at the New school, nor what a tremendous impact you had on my life..I will be forever  grateful for the 40+year friendship we've had since then...Richard and I will treasure memories of the many wonderful dinners we shared with you and Vincent.The memory of your great big laugh will warm my heart.I love you Pat.

My heartfelt condolences to Vincent, Jason and Sylvia and to  the many significant others who formed Pat's large circle of family, friends, past students & colleagues . I met Pat when I was a student at the New School in its inaugural year. He was such a joy to be around. Pat truly cared for his students, and embraced the principles of humanistic education. As such, he was a significant part of having the New School become as much of a "turning point" for its students, (who had not been well served by the traditional education system), as it had been for himself.  To spend time with Pat was to feel valued, to learn far beyond "curriculum ", and most importantly, to look forward to engaging in the learning process! Pat genuinely enjoyed spending time with his students well beyond the regular academic day. I have many wonderful memories being together with Pat and a group of other people, sharing stories and laughing uproariously. Pat was one-of-a-kind, and I feel privileged to have known him.  You will be missed Pat! Rest in Peace.

I’m so sad to learn of Pat's death. My sincere condolences to his partner Vincent. Pat was a kind and caring man who strongly supported reproductive rights and other human rights causes. He was a founding member of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC-CDAC) since 2005, and served as a Board member until 2018.  Pat was instrumental in pushing ARCC to be bilingual, and made many other contributions that were always greatly appreciated.  I will really miss Pat. 

Patrick Powers was a wonderful friend, colleague, and mentor when I started teaching at New School in the early 80’s. He was a compassionate facilitator to his students at New School where he was a constant presence, always ready to listen, help and guide students with his kind non-imposing manner and ready smile. Pat dedicated a great deal of time communicating with his students and through his guidance, he helped them to develop their self-actualization despite some extremely challenging situations 
Over the 30 years we enjoyed deep challenging discussions over regular dinners. Pat loved music and when he attended my concerts, I loved seeing his appreciative smiling face in the audience. Our amazing friendship lasted right until the end. Sadly, COVID put a stop to our visits, however Vincent kept us up to date. He will be dearly missed.




Dear Vince, my sincerest condolences. May Pat's memory be a blessing. Scott

Pat, I still have a vivid memory of our encounters, mostly with Vincent,my brother-in-law, during our family dinners. I tried to sit next to you as I knew I would have the most enjoyable evening. You were so pleasant , knowledgeable, open-minded and on a mission to improve the world! You were the ultimate Renaissance man, and lucky for your students that you chose the most noble profession of teaching and forming them, while offering such an enlightened model of humanity. You will be missed as there are so few of your kind. 
Thanks for giving Vincent a front row seat to witness all of the above.

Pat,
I will always remember you as one of the most valuable memories of my time at New School. You came to mind a few weeks ago and I thought of getting in touch after all these years. I used to look you up for reunions and you always knew what was going on. You were such a connecting force for so many of us as students as we entered college with fear and trepidation. You were a warm  beacon of light, so easy to get to know--so popular yet unassuming. We all wanted to get to know you because you radiated such love, acceptance and kindness. I remember the laughs we had in French class, the bonding experience of Band. You were such an anchor---the epitome of excellence in teaching/living/being humanistic education. Knowing you have passed over makes me very sad because even though I am in California now, I always thought there would be more time to see you or reach out when I came to Montreal. What I am sure of is that you are sitting with a group of captivated students somewhere over the rainbow. You are all in a circle and you are leading a discussion of social justice. Everyone wants to hear you. People are listening intently. You have such wisdom, such humor and such a sense of kindness. Your students are all so happy to know you, mainly because they feel seen by you. You are a safe presence and the world is a better place for your life beautifully lived.  Sue Hanna, Class of 1981

I had the privilege of meeting Patrick at the New School. He was such a kind, caring, dynamic and effective teacher and leader. I learned a lot from him and admired him very much. My condolences to his loved ones and family! 

Cher Pat, quand je pense à toi, je pense à un homme sérieux au grand rire, au français soigné, avide de discussions et toujours prêt à défendre les causes qui lui tiennent à coeur.

Bon voyage Pat!

To Dear Vincent and Jason; to all those friends who so loved him.
The Joy of Pat was bumping into him in the halls of Dawson, and his warmest smile and lovely greeting always set a higher spirit to the day.
This Joy continued for us living in NDG, where he brought such love to our streets and cafes, where he gave us such warmth, always, when meeting.
A rare treasure, to be treasured, always. He is in the warmth of the light of peace, where he now rests.  Never to be forgotten.
With loving thoughts, Nonny

I am so sorry to hear about Pat. He truly was such a caring and compassionate man. I remember well our work together on the Humanities Executive.  He loved Dawson College, and the college was fortunate to have benefited over so many years from the wealth of his experiences and his deep dedication to teaching. My condolences to his family.

So sad to hear of Pat’s passing. I had the pleasure of knowing him through the Coop La Maison Verte. I would escape there for a coffee from my intense job as ED at Head & Hands and Pat was often there. We had many a conversation about women’s right, LGBTQ issues and more. He was a bright flame and he lit many lights. Condolences to his partner and friends. Marlo Turner Ritchie

A bright light has left us. I'm so sorry to hear the sad news of Pat's passing. He was such a vibrant, caring, and kind-hearted man. If there were more people like Pat, the world would be a better place. He will be missed. My deepest condolences to his loved ones. May he rest in peace.


My condolences to the family.  I love Pat Powers, he was one of my favorite teachers with a great smile and wonderful personality.
We had many wonderful moments all of us and will never forget him.
He will be greatly  missed because he was a wonderful human being.
We need more people like him.
God bless and I will never forget. 
Hella Geoffroy

My deepest condolences to Patrick's family and friends. As a colleague at Dawson, I was always happy to be in his presence where his warmth and humour shone through and lit up all around him. I can easily see why he was a driving force in New School. May he rest in peace. 

Gabriel Tordjman   

I am deeply saddened by the news of Pat’s passing! He was a mentor, friend, and brother! I loved him dearly! Rest well my friend,  you left the world a better place!

My condolences to Jason and Vincent.

Pat Powers influenced us all at the New School in more ways than we’ll ever know.   He helped me to open my eyes a little and break down some of the prejudices I had learned as a child.  He was a great man who helped me appreciate and celebrate the diversity of human beings in society.  He will be missed.


I'm so sad to hear of Pat's passing. I was a student of his at the New School in the 90's and he had an incredible impact on me at a very formative time in my life. Always accepting, guiding, supportive, he had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged and that they had something important to contribute. What an incredible teacher and person; an inspiration. 

C'est en 1993 que Patrice est venu se présenter dans notre garage: c'était notre nouveau voisin. Notre amitié a commencé alors... Je me souviens de nos discussions si variées: littérature, politique, souvenirs... Plus tard notre fille a été son élève au New School, à Dawson... Patrice nous a toujours inspirés par sa bonté, son sens de l'altruisme, son engagement... et son merveilleux rire si contagieux. 

To Pat’s family: My deepest sympathies at your loss.  I am extremely saddened by his passing. Pat, a very sensitive and warm person, 
went out of his way to make my experience teaching at the New School of Dawson College a highlight of my life. To me, he was the embodiment of Humanistic Education. The photo of him shows that warm smile that lit up the room and the yellow shirt mirrors his sunny disposition. When I visited him a couple of years ago, he sat very close to me, holding my hand and listening to every word. 
Reading his obituary, I learned of his deep involvement in many social causes of which I was previously unaware.

Patrice était vraiment un bon gars. Il a eu de la chance dans la vie... jusqu'à ce que cette chance le quitte. Puis la vie s'est acharnée sur lui. J'espère que ses proches pourront finir par accepter la nouvelle de son décès. Adieu Patrick Powers!

I am very sorry to hear this news. Pat and I go back to the first years of the New School, he as a teacher, me as a student.  What an amazing and life-changing time that was. 

 My sympathies to all Pat's loved ones.



I have so many great memories that I can't choose one. Pat was very kind and generous to me his home was always open .He was funny and made me laugh a lot .We danced he loved that .Actually Pat had a big heart simple as that.The photo shown shows the true essence of my friend and that wonderful smile that I shall always remember Love you Pat❤    Diane 

Dear Vince,
My deepest sympathies on your loss.  Pat was one of my favourite people.  Kind and generous and always with something to say on a myriad of topics.   May he rest in peace...


Merci Patriçe pour toutes ces belles années passées ensemble......Je suis prévilégier d'avoir pu profité de tes nombreuses qualités ainsi que de ta bonté et personnalité insurpassables........I love you Darling...

Patrice, on se souviendra de toi par  ta facilité de raconter et ton rire contagieux. Tu as été un allié précieux pour notre frère Vincent. RIP 

Thank you Patrice for making my brother Vincent so happy.
You both had such a wonderful relationship…


Dear Vincent and Jason,

Our heartfelt loss of one of the kindest men on the planet. Pat was a valued colleague at The New School of Dawson, which is where I started my CEGEP teaching career. Pat was a light among many there who took teaching to heart, with a passion and dedication that set the bar high and never wavered.
He was indeed a favorite teacher and colleague to many, and he will be missed by all. We are left with fond memories thanks to his generosity, patience and insight into Humanistic Education.
Adieu, mon amie.



A very dear friend and wonderful colleague. Pat and I met at the inception of The New School of Dawson College in 1973, and for many years we  enjoyed working as co-directors of the New  School where we taught  until his retirement many years later. He was a sensitive and understanding teacher and friend,  a colleague who was always willing to do  even more than his share if needed.  He strongly valued and advocated for human rights and social  justice ,  participating in numerous justice initiatives over the years.  I have  many warm  memories of  his annual  summer visits to my house in Vermont over the years, so many fine conversations, so much laughter.  I miss him and send my heartfelt condolences to Vincent and Jason and  others who loved him.















Mon souvenir de Pat Powers remonte au milieu des années ‘80 du temps du militantisme syndical. Venant de la lointaine Gaspésie, j’avais été impressionné par la stature, le raffinement et le charisme de cet homme charmant,

OBITUARY

Patrick Powers

July 16, 1944 – March 13, 2022

Résidences funéraires Collins Clarke MacGillivray White Funeral Homes

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