Patricia Campion Cobb

Patricia Campion Cobb’s life of nurturing, caring, and conviviality came to a peaceful end on February 8, 2025. Known as Pat to most, Grandma to many, and Teedie to those closest to her, she was the youngest of five, born on December 11, 1932, to Mary Hanlon Campion and Dr. Thomas Campion and was married for 64 years to her beloved husband, the late Dr. Richard J. Cobb. The last of the Campions, Pat embodied many of that clan’s quintessential values: devotion to family and God, a gift for teaching, and a love of sports and laughter. Growing up, Pat shared a room with her three sisters on Grennan Road in West Hartford and attended Mount St. Joseph Academy, later earning a bachelor’s degree at St. Joseph College. Long before most girls dreamed of competing in athletics, she took up the sport of diving and won a New England Championship. After a year of teaching home economics in Rocky Hill, she married in 1956, and from then on Pat and Dick embarked on a life of love, adventure, and service to others. Wherever they went, Pat and Dick made their mark in the community, forging life-long friendships along the way. Dick’s medical training took them from New York to Hartford, Norfolk, and New Haven, and in 1964 they settled in the diverse and vibrant Blue Hills section of Hartford, where they raised their family on Canterbury Street, just down the block from St. Justin’s Church and School. Pat appreciated motherhood and all its complexities and embraced the chaos and joy that children bring. She loved having a baby on her hip, birthing seven children in nine years. During the childrearing phase of their marriage, Pat held down the fort with the help of Dick’s beloved father, Charles “Pop” Cobb. She did mountains of laundry, made thousands of brown bag lunches tailored to individual tastes, and got everyone to school and appointments relatively on time. During the six years her kids delivered newspapers, Pat was the one who brought in the bundles at the crack of dawn and counted, folded, and placed the newspapers in the proper bags before waking anyone. Though she did not suffer fools and shared her blunt, unfiltered opinion if the need arose, she gave her children a long leash, allowing them the freedom to explore, make mistakes, and follow their hearts. Pat taught swimming lessons in Keney Park for numerous summers, and became an accomplished tennis player, often carrying her spouse in mixed doubles matches. When her youngest began school, Pat worked for the WIC Program while attending night classes at St. Joseph College, where she earned a master’s degree in 1979. Pat joined the faculty of Weaver High School in 1978 where she began the Weaver Parent-Child Education Center, a home economics classroom that doubled as an infant day care center, allowing teen mothers to continue their education. She designed parenting and early childhood development courses, teaching her students what to expect from and how to care for an infant, as well as practical skills like balancing a checkbook. For her innovative approach to the discipline, Pat was named Connecticut’s 1981 Home Economics Teacher of the Year, and her program was also featured in the March 1985 edition of Ebony magazine. In the summer of 1983, Pat and Dick moved downtown and called the tenth floor of Bushnell Tower their home for the next 40 years, spending weekends and summer days at the beach in East Matunuck, RI. Pat embraced the new experiences conferred by Dick’s career, including living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for six months and in Cooperstown, NY, for three years. Always up for an adventure, Pat and Dick traveled the world together, and she even flew to China to be one of the first to welcome her youngest grandchild to the fold. Pat loved a good time, and she had the gift of making every occasion lively and fun. An excellent cook and hostess, she always made room for more, whether it was squeezing in a neighborhood friend on the bench of the “flying picnic table” or welcoming medical students from around the globe for supper. She adored the commotion of large family gatherings, knew well the pleasure of a nice bourbon or cool gin and tonic, and enjoyed decorating her apartment for various holidays. Nothing made her happier than a full house with friends and relatives enjoying good food, laughter, and fellowship. A devout Catholic, Pat was a loyal, naturally comforting, and empathetic friend, always there for folks in times of need or distress. Later in life, Pat was an active and supportive presence in her grandchildren’s lives, role modeling the virtues of kindness and never taking oneself too seriously. In addition to her husband and parents, Pat was predeceased by her sisters and their spouses, Mary and Jimmy Sinatro, Kathleen “Kay” and John O’Neill, and Elizabeth “Betts” and Ken Trenchard, and her brother, the Rev. Thomas Campion. Mourning her loss are her children and their spouses: Richard, Jr. (Terry), Charles (Ellen Pinkos Cobb), Michael (Susan), John (Leslie Virostek), Mary Gothers (Timothy), Joseph (Dana), and Christopher. Her fifteen grandchildren cherish their memories of her: Richard III, Sarah, Jessie, Timothy, Elizabeth, Catherine, Connor, Grace, Sean, Aidan, Caroline, Abby, Meghan, Elise, and Aileen. She also leaves nine great-grandchildren and her sister-in-law Nicki Cobb, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to thank all her wonderful caregivers whose compassionate attention was a comfort to Pat and her family in her final years, most especially Novlett Diaz. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church in Hartford on Saturday, February 15, at 10:00 AM, with calling hours from 8:30 to 9:45 AM at the church. The Mass will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to The House of Bread, 1453 Main Street, Hartford, CT, or to St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church, 285 Church Street, Hartford. Livestream Link https://spsact.org/livestream/

Patricia Campion Cobb

December 11, 1932 - February 8, 2025