Former Town Clerk Patricia Sheridan Dies At Age 78

Patricia Sheridan, the former  longtime Clarkstown town clerk, died Monday morning after a long battle with lung cancer.

Sheridan, who was 78, served as town clerk from 1977 to 2005, a position from which she made herself available to all constituents and others any day or time it was needed, her family said.

According to her family, her motto was: "We believe in being as polite as possible and in going the extra mile for anyone who needs our help. We are here to serve the people, and while I know every politician in the world says that, here we make it a reality."

 "Pat was a wonderful committed public servant for close to 30 years in our town," said George Hoehmann, a town board member.

Hoehmann recalled an anecdote from a few years ago when a woman recounted to him how her son needed a document for an adoption hearing and was traveling early the next morning. "Pat was called and went into to help the man late one weekend night. I was told the man got his documents and was able to fly out early the next day with the information that was needed," Hoehmann said.

"That was Pat -- she was hard working -- often did things that few people ever knew about," Hoehmann continued. "She also was not afraid to voice her opinion - you always knew where you stood with Pat. Above all, however, she was a dedicated public servant, a mother and a grandmother who always wanted the best not only for her family but also for our community. She will be missed."

Born in the Bronx to John and Mary (Kileen) Foley, Sheridan moved to West Nyack from there in 1962. In 1981, she moved to Valley Cottage.

Besides her job as clerk, she was employed as a nursing assistant, school aide and purchasing agent for the county.

She was an active member of the Clarkstown Republican Party since moving to Rockland. She also was involved in many local and state campaigns for public offices. One of those she supported was Rockland County Legislator Ed Day, R-New City, when he first ran for office in 2005.

"She believed in me when I first came onto the scene as a political neophyte four years ago, when backing an outsider was not popular in political circles," he said. "I am indebted to her for that trust, and the world will be a lesser place with her not here with us.

"She was a straight shooter possessing something that is unfortunately a rare commodity – integrity. What she said, she meant, and what she meant, she said."

During her personal time, Sheridan was an avid reader who could converse and debate on many different subjects, but who had a special enthusiasm for political debate. She also enjoyed buying and selling antiques, and in her later years became active with "The Lady Bugs," a local financial study group.

Sheridan is survived by her husband of 54 years, Arthur; her daughter, Carole; and two sons, Stephen and his wife, Kathleen, and Ryan and his wife, Alyson; and six grandchildren Kerri Dugan, Stephen, Thomas, and Kelly Sheridan, and Nicholas and Dana Sheridan, all of whom live in Clarkstown.

She was predeceased by her sister, Margaret Fella, and brother, John Foley.

Throughout her life, Sheridan enjoyed helping those in need, as well as supporting her friends and community by her involvement in organizations or through private individual efforts, her family and co-workers said.

"I have known and worked with Pat Sheridan for many years, in the County Legislature, as a New York State Assemblyman and in more recent years as Supervisor of the Town of Clarkstown," said Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack. "She was a person of dedication and integrity and always put the people of Clarkstown first.  She will be sorely missed."

The family will receive family and friends from 7–9 p.m. Wednesday and 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Joseph W. Sorce Funeral Home, 728 West Nyack Road, West Nyack.

There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Friday in St Anthony's Shrine Church, Nanuet. Interment will be at St. Anthony's Cemetery, Nanuet.