Tribute to Patricia Ann Forrester
Patricia Ann “Patsy” Forrester, ninety-three, died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday morning, August 27, 2023. Patsy was a second-generation Irish-American born in Brooklyn on April 14, 1930, to Patrick and Catherine Connolly. On the day Patsy was born, All Quiet on the Western Front was the go-to movie, and Herbert Hoover was president.
In the early twentieth century, Patsy’s mother and father left Ireland to seek a better life in the United States, and her parents both became US citizens after passing through Ellis Island. Even though Patsy’s mom and dad grew up within a mile of each other in County Leitrim in Ireland, they never knew each other. It wasn’t until they came to New York that fate would have them meet and fall in love. They soon married and raised four children: Theresa, Patricia, Joseph, and Mary. Patsy’s father was a motorway man, and her mother was a homemaker. The Connollys were devout Catholics and never missed a Sunday Mass. It was said that the Connolly girls often caught a few eyes as they walked to church in their Sunday dresses in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Growing up in Brooklyn was fun, and family was scattered throughout the neighborhood. One of Patsy’s uncles ran a popular speakeasy named Connolly’s, and Patsy remembered the live music and big crowds there. One of Patsy’s earliest childhood memories was when her father took her to work with him: “I remember that my dad let me sit on his lap as he conducted the subway train into Coney Island. He could have gotten in big trouble for doing that, but it was so much fun, and I was so young. I never forgot it. I loved it.”
After high school Patsy took a job as a stenographer at Cravath, Swaine, and Moore, a prestigious law firm in Manhattan. It was there that fate would intervene again. Patsy was told by an office girlfriend that a young, handsome associate named Edward Forrester had taken a liking to her. “When I thought I looked really nice,” Patsy said, “I would walk past his office sometimes.” One day, Eddie asked her out for a drink after work. At a bar on Wall Street, Patsy slowly sipped a glass of wine, and they talked for two hours. They hid their relationship from the firm because they didn’t want to attract attention. Before their first formal date, Eddie met Patsy’s mom and dad at their house in Brooklyn, and Patsy’s sister Mickey said Eddie was a gentleman. Eddie spoke of his faith in God and his devotion to the Mother Mary. Mom and Dad were impressed, and so was Patsy. They married in 1953.
Patsy and Eddie eventually settled in Glen Cove, New York, where they raised six children. Patsy recalled, “Every time we got pregnant with the next child, something good would happen — a promotion or a raise. We were very fortunate.” They built a life for their children that focused on Catholic education, faith in God, love of sports, and a deep appreciation for America and its history. Patsy had impeccable taste in interior design, and she loved living in her “big, old, colonial” house on Duck Pond Road. At Christmastime, Patsy placed a candle in every window, and red and green floodlights bathed their large, white house in Christmas colors for the whole neighborhood to enjoy.
Patsy also had a wonderful sense of humor and an infectious laugh. She enjoyed cooking and sharing big meals with her family that grew to include new sons and daughters-in-law. Patsy was a fierce champion for her children and survived raising teenagers in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. She treasured short vacations in Antigua with Eddie in the cold of winter and long Italian dinners at La Bussola restaurant in Glen Cove where she and Eddie were treated like local royalty. Patsy also loved “investing” in penny and nickel slot machines in Atlantic City where she seemed to forget every loss but celebrated every win. She lived to see sixteen presidents across her long life.
Patsy was known affectionately as “Nana” by her thirteen grandchildren. She loved to play cards with them and was occasionally known for cheating when playing Old Maid by looking at the mirror over the kids’ shoulders. The grandkids rarely won games and marveled at Nana’s incessant luck, but Patsy denied ever cheating as she grinned from ear to ear.
When asked if she had any regrets, Patsy said without hesitation, “Daddy and I had a good life. We did well. We traveled a bit. We had six great children and, thank God, they all did well. So no, I can’t think of anything. No regrets in this life.” When asked if she ever doubted the existence of God, she replied emphatically, “No, never.”
Patricia Forrester is survived by her six children, Cathy, Robert, Stephen, Rosemary, Lynn, and Daniel, and her sons and daughters-in-law, Peter, Kathy, Andrew, Douglas, and Nancy. She adored her thirteen grandchildren: Beth-Anne, Bryan, Megan, Molly, Colleen, Emma, Abby, Jacob, Caroline, Jack-Connolly, Andrew, William, and Charlotte. She is also survived by her beloved younger sister, Mary, “Mickey” Goss, nephew Paul O’Connell, and her dear sister-in-law Mildred Connolly.
A Catholic funeral mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 30, at Saint Joseph’s Parish in Kings Park, New York, at 9:30 a.m. The funeral will be followed by an internment ceremony at Saint John’s Cemetery in Queens, New York. She will be buried alongside the love of her life, Edward Forrester, who preceded her in death by twenty-three years.
In lieu of flowers, our family kindly asks for donations to the Angel Baby Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to serving families grieving the loss of a child. Patsy struggled to understand why she had outlived her grand-daughter Abby. She would be touched to think that people are supporting a charity that continues to bring comfort to so many families.
Patricia Ann Forrester was a beautiful, strong, funny, loving, hopeful, and spiritual sister, daughter, mother, wife, grandmother, parishioner, and friend. She will be missed and long remembered for her deep faith, love of family, love of country, and the gift of life itself. She was ninety-three.
