Patricia Colette Field (Ward) was born on July 6, 1931 in Dublin Ireland. The third child of five and the youngest of a trifecta of Irish beauties, she was often compared to a young Bette Davis, and for a time considered pursuing a career in acting but instead followed her passion for fashion.
Her discerning eye and flair for predicting trends earned her the position of buyer in the bridal department of Switzers in Dublin. While at Switzers she met and married Matthew Field, an Irish civil engineer from Cork who had immigrated to the United States. Following their Dublin wedding and Paris honeymoon, Patricia and Matthew moved to the United States.
She continued her work in fashion and was hired in New York City by Arnold Constable to tend to their most distinguished customers. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the former President of the United States FDR, was one of her clients. She finished her career at the Emporium Hillsdale, where she was honored for her outstanding sales record.
Patricia and Matthew had three children Geraldine, John and Patrick. Matthew’s work as a civil engineer took them all over the United States and back to Ireland. Together they lived in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Northern California, Southern California, Ireland and finally San Mateo, where they bought a home in the Aragon neighborhood. While the moves were frequent, Patricia’s passions were constant – faith, family and fashion.
Devoted to her family, maintaining ties to Ireland was a top priority for her. She saved diligently so that she could return to Ireland with her children so that they would know their Irish roots. Among her happiest moments were those spent in the company of her beloved sisters Marie and Una.
A devout Catholic and parishioner of Saint Matthew’s church in San Mateo, Patricia’s favorite saint was Saint Anthony and so it is befitting that she chose his feast day, January 17, 2020 as the day of her departure into eternal life.
In lieu of flowers donations in her name can be made to Saint Anthony Foundation 150 Golden Gate Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102. www.stanthonysf.org/donate/.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.