Monserrate “Patty” Rodriguez, age 84, of Philadelphia, PA passed away on Friday, January 5th, 2024.
Patty was born in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on December 11, 1939, the daughter of the late Dimas Rodriguez and Rafaela Cedeño. After the untimely passing of her biological parents at a young age, Patty was raised by the late William and Luisa Torres in Ponce, Puerto Rico alongside four siblings.
Eventually, the family moved to the Bronx, New York when Patty was a young teenager. She graduated from Jane Adams Vocational High School in 1959.
Following the births of her first three children, Patty relocated the family to Philadelphia, where she later had her youngest child. Patty’s greatest passion was her family. She was a selfless single mother who consistently put the needs of her children before her own.
Always nurturing and a natural caretaker, Patty spent her career as a bilingual teacher’s aide in the Philadelphia School District ensuring her young students felt safe, loved, and understood at school. Upon her retirement from the District, Patty continued to work with young children in various daycares and childcare centers throughout the city, positively impacting all the children she had the privilege of working with.
Outside of work, you could often find Patty, or “Grandma,” accompanying her grandchildren on school field trips, taking them back to school shopping, and driving them to and from various activities while salsa music played on her car radio. Patty made sure she was an active participant and caretaker in the lives of her children, grandchildren, and later, great-grandchildren, whom she cared for so deeply.
She loved spending time with her family, hosting holiday gatherings, and cooking her family’s favorite Puerto Rican dishes – her rice and beans were unmatched. During these gatherings, she often needed reminders to sit and relax, as her inclination was always to take care of those around her before herself. She was an excellent cook. You never left her house hungry or without leftovers.
