Patricia G. Schuyler

Patricia Grace Schuyler died at her Riderwood Village home in Silver Spring, Maryland, on February 13, 2024. She was 89 years old and had spent the past nine months wrestling with a lung cancer so powerful that, to her surprise and that of everyone who loved her, it would yield neither to her iron will nor her legendary resilience. She spent her last weeks surrounded and cared for by her children, comforted by shared memories and the physical reminders of her rich personal history.

She was preceded in death by her son, Anthony Ruskowski, Jr., her first husband, Anthony Ruskowski, Sr., and husband, George Schuyler (married in 1974). She is survived by her sister, Susan Tyler of Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada; daughters and sons-in-law, Sharon and Robert Freeman of Saint Augustine, Florida and Lisa Ruskowski McGlone and William McGlone of Arlington, Virginia; step-children, Ann Schuyler of Sacramento, California, and John Schuyler of Palo Alto, California; and grandchildren, Jake, Luke, Allison, Maria, and Ricky.

Pat and George enjoyed a romantic partnership that remained vibrant and loving throughout their 44-year marriage. Together they pursued meaningful work, built welcoming homes, and developed community in a succession of locales: Long Island, New York; Sussex, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Conway, Arkansas; and, in retirement, for the past 20 years, in and around Washington, DC. Through it all, they nurtured and supported their children and grandchildren, joyfully honoring birthdays and milestones, treasuring every shared minute.

Pat earned her BA and MA at Stony Brook University and pursued doctoral research at the University of Buffalo, focusing on comparative education in Cuba and Venezuela. Her commitment to fostering a just society informed her practice throughout her professional life, including high school teaching, program management for Save the Children-Canada, and administration of the Arkansas Women’s Project. In 1985, she served as a representative to the Nairobi UN Conference on the Status of Women. She and George traveled extensively and lived in Latin America in support of their work. They remained engaged in organized efforts for domestic and international justice and peace throughout their retirement years.

In retirement, Pat and George spent lots of time with family and friends, often visiting and traveling abroad with their children and grandchildren. They also shared with family their passion for live theater, movies, political causes, and DC’s many cultural opportunities. Pat lovingly ensured that memories of shared family experiences were preserved, fully documenting events with annotated photobooks, now cherished and enduring mementoes.

In her Riderwood community, Pat built strong and loving friendships and immersed herself in a broad range of interest groups and activities. And a new and unexpected passion emerged: Pickleball! Pat not only played but excelled at the sport and became a leader in the Riderwood Pickleball organization, advocating for better facilities and equipment. She took joy in helping to found Wheelchair Pickleball at Riderwood and, until her illness, acted as a teacher, coach, and, especially, cheerleader for new players, whatever their abilities.

Pat’s love of the game led her to introduce all of her children and grandchildren to pickleball. In fact, her most ardent pickleball students proved to be several of her grandchildren, who became avid players, considering their time on the pickleball courts an homage to their inimitable “G-Pat.” Pat also shared with her grandchildren mutual passions for baking, movie-watching, pool and beachgoing, political and social justice, and exploring new ideas and ways of looking at the world. For Pat, the adage “learning never ends” never stopped resonating.

Patricia Schuyler was a beautiful, bright, strong, and endlessly positive person. She had a gift for storytelling laced with a keen sense of humor, which could leave her friends and family “in stitches.” Her determination to make the world a better place endures in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Those wishing to honor her memory with a financial contribution are encouraged to donate to one of the following organizations: Riderwood Village: Scholarship Fund (3110 Gracefield Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904), Southern Poverty Law Center, Habitat for Humanity, Center for Economic and Policy Research (linked below).