De Vivo, Patricia (Ritchie)
Patricia R. De Vivo, 93, of Edgewood Road, Kensington, and Hillcrest Road, Old Lyme, died peacefully at her home on Friday, January 5, 2024, with her family at her side. Pat grew up in Berlin and was the daughter of the late Robert J. Ritchie and Hazel (Bernier) Ritchie. She was a 1949 graduate of Mary Immaculate Academy in New Britain and went on to graduate in 1951 from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, as a registered nurse. She started her nursing career working in a physician's office and for the New Britain Visiting Nurses Association.
When Pat stepped away from nursing to raise her four children, she worked alongside her husband, Edward, to build his bus company, DATTCO, into one of the top bus companies in the United States. She also served as an officer in the company. Her interest in working in a hospital setting led her back to St. Francis where she continued her nursing career for over 25 years. After her retirement, she spent ten years running the hospital Thrift Store, Repetitions. She enjoyed the work in the thrift shop as well as the continued connection to the hospital.
Pat loved spending time at her cottage at Point O' Woods Beach. Having spent her childhood vacationing there with her family, it was truly a special place to her. She always enjoyed sharing the stories of her younger years at the beach and carrying on traditions with family and friends. Pat was extremely talented and creative. She was an extraordinary cook, and the kitchen was the favorite gathering spot. Everyone looked forward to her delicious meals and amazing desserts. She was also a very skilled seamstress. Pat was also known for her wreath making, in particular, her beautiful pinecone wreaths. Pat would enter her baked goods and items she had created in the Berlin Fair and had a number of blue ribbons to attest to her amazing skills. Pat also loved flowers and had quite a “green thumb”. They gave her much enjoyment and she took great pride in the beautiful flower-filled planters throughout her yard and around the pool.
Pat was a member of the South Kensington Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, St. Francis Hospital Ladies Retirees Club, and the St. Paul's Ladies Guild. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother who always put her family above all else. She was always happiest when surrounded by her family. Pat was predeceased by her husband, Edward, in 2003. She is survived by her four children and their families, Thomas and Laurie De Vivo, and Tom's children Michelle and Andy; Deborah De Vivo of Southington and her daughter Sarah Depalma and her husband Wade; Laurie Behmke of Bristol and her children Daniel, David, and Steven; and Anne and Alex Demesa of South Plainfield, N.J. and their children Isabella, Trent, Rachel, and Alexa. She is also survived by her sister, Nancijeanne Swanson of Berlin, and several nieces and nephews.
Friends and relatives are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday, January 12, 2024 at 10 AM at St. Paul's Church in Kensington. The family has asked that attendees go directly to the church on Friday morning. Burial will be at South Burying Ground, Kensington. Her family will receive friends on Thursday at Erickson-hansen Funeral Home of Berlin, 111 Chamberlain Highway, Berlin, from 4-7 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations in memory of Pat be made to Repetitions Thrift Shop and the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation.
To share condolences with the family or for directions to the funeral home, please visit www.ericksonhansenberlin.com
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