Mary Patricia Waite Petrilli, age 94, died December 20, 2024. She was born at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Boston to George and Regina (Mangan) Arroll, and grew up in nearby Swampscott. In second grade Pat joined the Meet and Eat Club, a group of girls who met once a week to eat and talk about boys. The Meet ‘n Eat Club friendships continued Pat’s entire life. Pat was always boy crazy so much so that her father predicted she’d be pushing a baby carriage at 16.
Pat earned a BA in Retail Art in 1952 from Regis College - the first in her family to attend college. She met Herb Waite at a Regis and were married in 1953. Together they welcomed 3 daughters, Mary Virginia, Mary Regina, and Marietta Tierney. During those years Pat volunteered at the Regis College Library and worked at the Swampscott Public Library.
After moving to Wellesley Hills, Mass in 1970, Pat spent 20 years working for the Newton Public Library in Acquisitions. She did theatrical makeup for the Wellesley Players and sang in the Wellesley Choral Society. She also sang in the St. Paul's Choir for 20 years, including singing for Pope John Paul II in 1999. She and Mike helped at the AIDS Residence where Mariette lived.
After 23 years, Pat's marriage ended in annulment. Years later she remarried a lovely widower, Mike Gradone II, and welcomed his 5 grown children: Pat and Mike enjoyed almost 15 years together.
A few years after Mike's death, Pat married Henry Petrilli of Springfield, Illinois, welcoming his children and grandchildren. Pat and Hank settled into North Hill retirement community in Needham, MA, where Pat mended and covered books in the North Hill library. Hank died in 2022.
Patricia was a woman of tremendous generosity. She volunteered for Marian Movement of Priests, Mass Citizens for Life, and Regis College as class treasurer. She was arrested in 1989 and again in 1992 while volunteering for Operation Rescue. Each time she managed to conceal a tiny rosary in her fist, which the police didn't notice. Who's going to frisk a white-haired lady?
Still, nothing was more important to Pat than her faith, her 11 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. Pat leaves daughters, Virginia Martin and Regina Cram. She was predeceased by her parents, her husbands, and her beloved daughter Marietta. For many years Pat looked forward to death, which she considered the next great adventure.
Visitation at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St. Wellesley, on Sunday, Dec. 22, from 2-5pm. Funeral from the funeral home on Monday, December 23, at 9am followed by a funeral Mass in St. Paul Church, Wellesley at 10am. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Interment at a later date.