Patricia Sophia Colella

stage-4 pancreatic cancer. She had just turned 60 on April 21st. Pat was born in Norwalk, CT, the daughter of the late Joan H. Simons Constantikes-Agnew and the late George D. Constantikes, and grew up in Westport, CT, with her parents and sisters. She received a B.A. in History from Harvard University and also played field hockey for their division 1 team. Following in her father's footsteps, Pat attended law school, receiving a J.D. degree from Georgetown University. Following graduation, she worked for the Kronish Lieb law firm, where she began pro bono work for the New York Legal Aid Society in 1990. She joined that organization full-time in 1992 and had a career of over 30 years as an attorney in their Juvenile Rights, Appeals Division.

Pat married attorney Frank Colella in 1992, and their daughter Katharine Emily was born in 1995. After moving from Brooklyn to Scarsdale, Pat chaired the Scarsdale Congregational Church Outreach Committee and created the Interfaith Coalition Against Gun Violence. She was a NY Deputy Chapter Leader for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, an organization for which she had served as a volunteer leader since 2016. For the past 6 years, she worked with the Scarsdale mayor's office and town board to sign a gun violence awareness proclamation during Gun Violence Awareness (Wear Orange) Week. In addition, over the years, she was actively involved in town education issues and committees, and, as a life-long lover of sports and an athlete herself, enjoyed coaching her daughter's softball teams. In her free time, Pat loved listening to music – especially James Taylor, going to movies, eating Greek food, reading, traveling, running around New York City, and spending time with her family and friends.

Pat is survived by her husband of 31 years Frank, their daughter Katie; sisters Andrea (Miguel) Torres, Christina (Piers) Lawrence, Amy Claire Constantikes, and stepsister Eleanor (Dale) Kotler; stepfather Bruce Agnew; brother-in-law Renato Colella and sister-in-law Rose Marie Cricchio; her niece Alexa Torres; her nephews Peter Colella, Miguel Torres, George Tatum, and Forrest Tatum. As Rev. Kelly Hough Rogers wrote, Pat's "life was about serving others . . . . She spent her whole career helping the most vulnerable members of our society." She made the world a better place and leaves a strong, beautiful legacy. She will be remembered for her bright smile, wonderful hugs, compassion, intelligence, eloquence, and fun-loving spirit, by the many people by whom she was loved.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, May 17, from 3pm-7pm at Edwin Bennett Funeral Home in Scarsdale, New York. A service will be held Thursday, May 18, at the Scarsdale Congregational Church, with burial to follow at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. Memorial donations can be made to the New York Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the Lustgarten Foundation: Pancreatic Cancer Research.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ELBennettFuneralHomes.com for the Colella family.