Patrick J. Colman, longtime resident of Warwick, N.Y. (formerly of Vailsburg, NJ), passed away with his family by his side on July 2, 2023, at Garnet Medical Center in Middletown, N.Y. He was 86 years “young.”
Patrick was born March 27, 1937, in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Kevin J. and Maisie (nee Heather) Colman.
Patrick retired as a machinist with Hills Brothers Coffee in Edgewater, N.J.
Patrick led a genuine life of service to all who knew him. Along with being a very active member of St. Stephen’s Parish, he was also a Fourth Degree Knight of the Knights of Columbus. Patrick dedicated 30 years of service to his community as a volunteer at St. Anthony Community Hospital and was a key member of the pastoral care team as a Eucharistic Minister. Additionally, Patrick was an obedient member of the PTAA
Patrick immigrated to America aboard the Queen Mary in November 1963. He quickly became a proud and civic-minded American, while simultaneously holding his ancestral land of Ireland close to his heart. His devotion to both countries was recognized numerous times, most recently by Orange County who awarded him Citizen of The Month in May 2023. He showed his love for Ireland through active engagement in various Irish cultural organizations such as The Ancient Order of Hibernians, The Independent Irish Association and the Greenwood Lake Gaelic Cultural Society. Paddy proudly led the 1994 Mid-Hudson Valley Saint Patrick’s Day parade as its Grand Marshal.
Inspired to share the spirit of those festivities with his beloved neighborhood of Fairview, he co-founded their own inaugural parade in 2007. Acting as the Grand Marshal, ensuring each year that the parade route was definitively marked with painted shamrocks. Aside from sharing time with family and friends, Paddy’s greatest pastime was making and repairing clocks, mastering birdsongs, and endlessly creating in his garden.
His family’s statement reads: “Patrick was an integral part of the fabric of the Warwick community and will be remembered for his big smile and Dublin wit. He loved his family and most of all his ‘Saint Anita’ to whom he was married for over 58 years.”
Patrick is survived by his wife, Anita (nee McEvoy), at home; son Peter G. Colman and his wife, Hadley J. Friedman of Lubec, Maine; daughter Eileen M. Geyer and her husband, Brian S. Geyer, of Rowley Mass.; brother, Terry Colman and his wife, Liz of Warwick; and sister Ann Wilton and her husband, David of Little Egg Harbor, N.J. Also surviving are his four grandchildren: Kirk Geyer, Alissa Geyer, Lakota Bowen and Summit Colman. He was predeceased by his beloved little sister, Rita.
Visitation was held July 9 at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick. A Funeral Mass was celebrated at July 10 at St. Stephen Church, 75 Sanfordville Road, Warwick.
Interment followed in St. Stephen Cemetery, Warwick.
Arrangements were made by Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home. To send an online condolence, visit www.lsvpmemorialhome.com.