Former Mount Kisco Mayor Reilly Dies at 91
Former Mount Kisco mayor Patricia Reilly, who served for 10 years on the Village Board and was also the daughter of a village mayor, died Tuesday with her family by her side. She was 91.
While many members of Pat’s life knew her as an elected official, registered nurse or extraordinary volunteer, her loved ones knew her as “Patsy,” “Mom” and “Nana” and will miss her immensely.
The daughter of the late Mayor J. Edward Fox and Mary (Malin) Fox, and the sister of Joan (Fox) Stewart, Reilly was born on Apr. 16, 1931, and learned early in life the importance of volunteering, community service and faith, and dedicated herself to the betterment of Mount Kisco through her many years of service in various settings.
Reilly served the village for 10 years on the board – six years as a trustee, from 1993 to 1999, and the next four years as mayor.
Another former mayor, Michael Cindrich, whose time on the board overlapped with Reilly’s as a trustee and also as mayor, called her “an exceptional person.”
“She found the time to volunteer in a whole host of volunteer activities,” said Cindrich, who first interacted with Reilly when she was chair of the Recreation Commission and he was involved in youth sports in the 1980s. “It takes not only ambition, it takes a tremendous amount of sacrifice. I consider her an exceptional community volunteer.”
Reilly attended St. Francis Grammar School and the Academy of Our Lady of Good Counsel before moving onto her post-secondary education at St. Vincent’s Hospital School of Nursing, NYU, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing, and Western Connecticut State University, where she earned her masters degree.
She first worked at the former Mount Kisco Hospital (now Northern Westchester Hospital), beginning her career there in 1951, and was the longest living employee of the hospital until late. After raising her six children, she was employed as a nurse-teacher and health services coordinator in the Bedford Central School District for many years, continuing to substitute nurse in the school system after her retirement. She also worked at the Swiss Home in her free time.
Faith was also incredibly important in her life. Reilly was a lifelong parishioner of St. Francis of Assisi Church, served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and member of the Parish Council.
Reilly was involved in or honored by a wide range of organizations over the years, including serving as past president of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, as a trustee of the Mount Kisco Historical Society and as a 48-year board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester. She also served on the village’s Beautification Committee, Mount Kisco Seniors, the Memorial Day Committee and the Woodcrest Homeowners Association, along with many other organizations, and was a grand marshal of the Mount Kisco St Patrick’s Day Parade.
Reilly is also a member of the Westchester County Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and was named Mount Kisco Citizen of the Year in 1991.
She leaves behind her beloved sister, Joan (Fox) Stewart; her cherished children, Marlene (John) Wallace, Edward (Beth) Reilly, Patrick J. Reilly, Kathy Reilly, John (Kathleen) Reilly and Kevin (Kristina) Reilly; and her adored 13 grandchildren, Kristina, Dustin, Kelly (Steve), Ian, Bridget, Patrick A., Brian, Catie, Martha, Charlie, Teddy (Madeline), Aleah, and Danny (Molly). Reilly also thought the world of her many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends who became family throughout her lifetime.
She was predeceased by her brother-in-law, William (Bill) Stewart.
Family and friends are invited to Cassidy-Flynn Funeral Home, located at 288 E. Main St. in Mount Kisco, on Dec. 1 and 2 from 4 to 8 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Church, located at 2 Green St. in Mount Kisco, on Saturday Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Search for Change, an organization near and dear to her and her family’s heart at Search for Change, Inc. 200 Columbus Ave., Suite201E, Valhalla, N.Y. 10595 or at www.searchforchange.org.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
