Patsy P. Ray

KINDERHOOK, NY—Patsy passed on September 19 2025 at the age of 94. She was born to Louise and Keith Powers in Savannah, Georgia. Beloved mother, grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, daughter, friend, nurse, artist, writer and Francophile, she will be tremendously missed by her valued network of family and friends. She handled whatever life dealt her with grace, love and a positive attitude. She grew up in the Beaufort, SC area. After high school she attended St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Savannah which took her to New Orleans for further training and many happy memories. She continued at Cornell Medical School’s Nurse Anesthesia program where she met her husband of 15 years, Stewart. She worked at New York Lying-In and other hospitals including Strong Memorial, Fletcher Allen, Child’s, Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s. Ever one for new beginnings, she moved to Paris, France with her children in 1972. There, she met the love of her life and remained for a decade, working at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades in electrical anesthesia research and as an interpreter and translator for medical journals. When she returned to the US, she completed her anesthesia career with beloved colleagues at St. Peter’s Labor and Delivery. She then worked in home health care in California, Oregon, and Washington and as a hospice nurse in South Carolina and Columbia County. Among her varied favorite things: family, friends, and most people she met; childhood on Ladies’ Island; the summer spent with friends in Italy as an extra on movie sets; dancing to anything but especially The Twist; ushering at Tanglewood; discussing philosophy and spirituality; and living near the French Pyrenees half of the year in “her little village.” Many a drinks party was hosted and boules competition played, and everyone was addressed with the familiar tu, not the formal vous. She is survived by her daughters Kathy (Dennis) and Rinky/Brenda, son Chef Danyell; granddaughter Sophia; brother Sarge (Janet); cherished family Patrick and Natalie; half-brothers Jimmy, Pat and Don; nieces, nephews, and cousins Roxanne (Gus), Bruce, Sandy, Gordon, Dinksie (Joe), Mark (Joan) and cherished extended family and friends, including Roberta who made life so much better. Our thanks to her medical and hospice teams is profound. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in her name to Community Hospice at https://www.communityhospice.org/donate or Kinderhook Memorial Library, POB 293, Kinderhook NY 12106. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

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Patsy P. Ray

September 19, 2025