Patricia S. (Simoff) Connolly, 65, of Whitman, Massachusetts, loving mother and sister, died at her home with her family by her side on June 18 after a battle with breast cancer. Born in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1950, Patti was the third of four children of Boris T. Simoff and Mary (Cini) Simoff, of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania.
She graduated from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania in 1968, and the University of Pittsburgh in 1972 with a degree in both French and Spanish, and moved to the Boston area where she completed her Master’s in counseling psychology from Boston College in 1974. She spent years working for Air France as a gate agent, and ran her own small business, an aerobics studio, for five years before settling into a career in rehabilitation and counseling. Most recently, she worked at Bridgewater State University as assistant director of the disability resources office.
An avid lover of the arts, Patti could always be found at museums, the theater, and concerts from her favorite musicians. She also loved the beach and spending time with her close knit group of friends.
Patti leaves behind her three children, Marisa (Connolly) Naughton and her husband, Michael, of Dedham, Massachusetts; Christopher Connolly and his wife, Kaitlyn, of Westwood, Massachusetts; and Nina Connolly and her partner, Brendan Tunstall, of Baltimore, Maryland, and three grandchildren, Will, Ben, and Eleanor. She is also survived by her sister, Joyce (Simoff) Bender, of East Palestine, Ohio, and her brother, Michael Simoff, of Zelienople, Pennsylvania.
Relatives and friends are invited to visitation hours on Wednesday, June 22 from 6-9 p.m. in the Blanchard Funeral Chapel, Plymouth St,(Rte 58 at the rotary circle) Whitman. Funeral services will be private. Donations in Patti’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, 1324 Belmont St, Suite 204-101, Brockton, MA 02301