Patricia Kelly McCornack

Patricia Kelly McCornack, of Peterborough NH and Vineyard Haven MA, died peacefully on May 4^th, 2024, after a brief illness. She was 87. 

Born on January 1, 1937 in White Plains, N.Y., “Patsy” spent most of her childhood in Scarsdale, NY and New Canaan, CT in a large, loving family. She attended the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT and graduated from Skidmore College in 1958. After college, Patsy moved to New York City and worked at the Sloan Kettering Institute as a lab assistant working on genetic transformation - this was the start of her lifelong love and curiosity of all things medical!

Patsy first came to the Vineyard as a teenager, and met the love of her life, Stuart G McCornack, at one of the infamous Edgartown dock dances in the 50’s. Patsy and Stuart were married on July 25, 1959. She not only fell in love with Stuart, but fell hard for the Vineyard as well. She was a summer resident until 1999, when she moved to the island year-round. In more recent years, she split her time between Martha’s Vineyard and Peterborough NH and embraced her new friends at the RiverMead Retirement Community.

In addition to her career as amazing wife and mom, she worked for a variety of businesses, including Sloan Kettering, Coleman Real Estate in East Greenwich, RI, Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, and the Edgartown National Bank on Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

Patsy was a true philanthropist and passionate volunteer throughout her life, particularly in the area of the arts and medicine. While living in Summit NJ, she was involved with Overlook Hospital, a board member and chapter president for the New Jersey Symphony, and a board member of both the New Jersey State Council of the Arts and the Summit NJ YMCA. When she moved to East Greenwich, RI, Patsy helped found the local New Neighbors Club, and was heavily involved with both the Providence Ronald McDonald House, and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. After moving to the island full time in 1999, she was an integral part of working with The Rural Scholars Program and the Dukes County Health Council. Lastly, Patsy was a devoted volunteer and staunch supporter of the Featherstone Center for the Arts. She was always spreading the word about their wonderful programs and served Featherstone in a variety of roles.

She had a deep love of learning, a strong sense of humor, and an inquisitive mind – she loved nothing better than to have an interesting discussion about any topic. Her interests were many and varied. She was most rabid about playing (and teaching) bridge, backgammon, canasta, mahjong, or any type of game. She designed and stitched beautiful needlepoint, and loved gardening, reading, the symphony, and anything art-related. She was an avid sports fan and could be found glued to the TV watching the Patriots, Red Sox, and anything tennis.

Above all, Patsy adored her family and friends. She was a loving yet fierce mother, grandmother, big sister, and aunt. Her embrace of extended family was evident at frequent family gatherings. In many ways, her love and devotion to family defined who she was. She will be dearly missed.

Widowed in 1982, Patsy is survived by her children Stuart McCornack (Kym) of Portland OR, Nancy Protzmann (Dan) of Amherst NH, and grandchildren Sam Protzmann (Makenna), Matt Protzmann (Maegan), Annie Protzmann, McCune and Sydney McCornack, and siblings Susie McFarland, Kim Cutler (Bruce), Seddon Beaty, Walter Kelly (Lynn), and her large extended family.

Our family would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who cared for her in her last weeks, both at UMass Memorial in Worcester, MA and RiverMead Health Center in Peterborough NH. Above all, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude and thanks to Dr. Karl Uy. His grace, humility, and deep sense of caring will be forever etched in our memories. 

A remembrance and party will be held at a future date. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Featherstone Centre for the Arts 30 Featherstone Ln, Oak Bluffs, MA 02557.