Patricia Moore

Patricia "Miss Pat" Moore died Saturday, June 20, 2020 after a brief illness. She was 71. Always selfless, Pat focused her life of service on providing for the needs of others--often including those needs that people didn't even realize they had. And she always did so with an eye towards the betterment of society at large. She had the wonderful and rare ability to simply anticipate what was necessary in any given circumstance and accomplish what was needed in a kind, gentle, and ultimately successful way. "Miss Pat" spent her 40+ year career teaching Montessori preschool at the Grosse Pointe Academy and the Giving Tree Montessori School demonstrating her consuming love for children. She helped her students realize their potential by giving each child the building blocks to develop a passion for lifelong learning. Her influence on her students was evidenced by her consistent selection as an "influential teacher" by graduating Grosse Pointe South students, by the countless high school and university commencement invitations she received, and by the many greetings and hugs she received from former students and their parents in the community. As an early member of the Michi...[more]

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Montessori Society (MMS) in the 1970s and the organization's president for many years, she strove to implement programs to improve teacher development and to promote Montessori education in Michigan and surrounding states. She firmly believed Montessori was the best approach to giving children the tools they needed to become thoughtful, caring, intelligent people who would serve the greater community good. In the years after her retirement, she conducted teacher training seminars for Montessori teachers and tutored for several community organizations, most recently at The Front Porch in Detroit. Her love for the community at St. Philomena Parish in Detroit and its pastor Monsignor Peter Lentine was a mainstay in her life. Patricia served the parish in several capacities, most notably as lector, during her time as a member of that parish community and was actively seeking to fill the void created when that parish community closed. In keeping with the philosophy that drove her life, Patricia was active in numerous "causes" beginning in the1960s and continuing through her participation in the 2017 Washington D.C. Women's March, advocacy during the 2018 elections, and her tireless work for Michigan's "Voters Not Politicians" initiative. The births of her three grandchildren lent new energy to her quest. She loved them completely and unconditionally, celebrated their victories, and helped them navigate life's challenges with a gentle hand. She never hesitated to get down on the floor to play and take direction from them--whether it was Lego with Bran, "Stuffies" with Lyra, or in the sand pile at the cottage with Jimmy. Right up until the end, her focus was on her hopes and dreams for them. Patricia was born a middle child in a family of eight to Stephen and Kathleen (Hoban) McNamee on November 23, 1948. She attended Guardian Angels elementary school and St. Anthony High School before earning Bachelor and Masters degrees at the University of Detroit and Marygrove College. She completed her Montessori teacher training certification program in 1970. She is survived by Hugh her husband of nearly 50 years, children Colm (Christine) and Conor (Shannon), grandchildren Brannon, Lyra and James, sisters Mary Kay (Gerry) L'Esperance, Margaret McNamee, Susan (Dave) Buckler, Maureen (Tom) Mossesso, and Monica McNamee, brother John (Kathy) McNamee, brothers-in-law Dan Moore and Jim (Meghan) Moore, and sisters-in-law Lisa Moore and Mary (Pollard) Boykin, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother Michael (Denny) McNamee. A private funeral mass will be held Saturday, July 25 at 10 am at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 23401 Jefferson Avenue St. Clair Shores, MI 48080. The service will be live streamed at http://www.stlucychurch.com and on St. Lucy's Facebook page, and available for viewing anytime after the service on St. Lucy's website. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to The Capuchins, 1820 Mt. Elliott, Detroit, MI, 48207 or to The Front Porch P.O. Box 24744, Kensington Station, Detroit, MI 48224-0744.