Obituary of Patricia M. Ackerman

Patricia M. Ackerman

September 19, 1928—July 5, 2019

Patricia M. Ackerman, 90, of Bethel, died at Danbury Hospital on Friday, July 5. She is survived by her four children: Laura McShane; Donald McShane and his wife, Margaret; Ellen McShane and her husband, Niberd Alzendi, with whom she made her home; and Lois McShane. She also leaves behind four grandchildren: Kevin McShane and his wife, Sara; Anne Besser and her husband, Paul; Joel Shanley; and Patrick McShane-Shanley; as well as four great-grandchildren: Savahna and Kaden McShane; and June and Martin Besser. 

Mrs. Ackerman was born Patricia Maria Magrath in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York, the youngest of nine children of Arthur and Helen Amelia (Martin) Magrath. She grew up close to the beach and loved the ocean waves. She was a proud graduate of St. John Villa Academy. After attending secretarial school, she held a number of executive assistant, legal secretary, and supervisory positions, starting at American Can Company and including working for the District Attorney of Queens County. Her position at Union Carbide Corporation brought her to the Danbury area in the early 1980s.

Patricia reared her children in Astoria, New York, later moving to Baldwin on Long Island. She was active in the Rosary Society of St. Joseph Church in Astoria, where her children attended elementary school. Her marriage to Hugh McShane ended in divorce, and Adolph Ackerman preceded her in death, as did her parents and siblings. In addition to her sister-in-law, Belle Magrath, she leaves behind several nieces and nephews, as well as many extended family members and friends, both local and far-flung.

In recent years, Mrs. Ackerman was a resident of the Bishop Curtis Homes in Bethel, Connecticut, where she participated in several activities, including knitting innumerable scarves, hats, and mittens for charitable organizations. She was an avid reader of both classic and contemporary literature, and a particular fan of cozy mysteries.

Patricia was a gourmet cook and expert baker, and passed down her skills to her family. Her children remember an evening when she was experimenting with a chocolate souffle and awoke them from sleep to sample it. She also enjoyed music and ballroom dancing, and was rather a fashion plate in her young adulthood. In September of 2018, family and friends gathered at the Black Angus Grill for a celebratory brunch in honor of her 90^th birthday.

Patricia Ackerman was a parishioner at St. Mary Church in Bethel and will find her final rest there.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 10, at 10:00 AM at St. Mary Church in Bethel. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery.  

The family will receive friends at the Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White Street, Danbury, on Tuesday, July 9, between the hours of 5:00—7:00 PM. 

Memorial Contributions may be made in her memory to American Legion Post 100 7 Elizabeth St. Bethel, CT 06801