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Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Patricia Riordan Reilly


Patricia Riordan Reilly died on June 13, 2020 at age 102.

Born in New York City on May 18, 1918, Pat survived both the Spanish Flu and COVID-19. A resident of Chequit Avenue for more than 40 years, Pat served on the Shelter Island Heights Board in the 1980s (where she led efforts to designate the Heights as a Historical District) and on the School Board. She was active in the Garden Club and the Historical Society, played bridge avidly, volunteered at Eastern Long Island Hospital, served as a Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady of the Isle and helped there with religious education.

Patrica Reilly


A graduate of the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Pat received a Master’s Degree in Economics from Fordham University and worked at the Research Institute of America with her mentor, the late Leo Cherne (former Chair of the International Rescue Committee).

Following her marriage to Dr. Philip C. Reilly, Pat joined the New York City Public Schools System where she became a distinguished secondary school teacher and administrator, co-authored a popular textbook of social studies, and was honored as “Teacher of the Year” by President Reagan and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a ceremony at the White House.

Previously life-long residents of New York City, she and her husband retired to Shelter Island in the late 1970s and never looked back. Together with many wonderful friends, they loved the island’s natural beauty, peaceful quietude and small town bonhomie.

Pat was pre-deceased by her husband (in 2010) and two sons, Dr. Philip Reilly Jr. (in 1995) and Kenneth Reilly (in 2017). She is survived by her daughter Marianne Reilly; two sons, William Spencer Reilly and Dr. Brendan Reilly; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Her nephew, John Evans, and three nieces, Linda Evans Franklin, Susan Evans Sterling and Jane Evans Carreyrou, have been Shelter Island residents for many years.

A joyous memorial service will be held on the Island in the future. Please send remembrances of Pat to [email protected]. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Calvary Hospital Hospice, 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461.