Patricia O'Rourke

Born in Manchester, England, in 1944, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, at the age of 10 when her father was transferred to the Montreal branch of a UK company. She returned for a memorable year to live in Manchester aged 20, but went back to Montreal where she worked at several jobs – as a journalist with a number of trade journals, later with the Yellow Door non-profit, organising services for the elderly – before becoming the Ombudsman for the Royal Victoria Hospital for over 30 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she gained a PhD for her thesis, Complementary and alternative medicine: nature, origins, ethics and regulation and lectured in Concordia and McGill on religion and alternative medicine for a number of years. She co-authored The Ombudsman Handbook with her friend James Ziegenfuss and served on the editorial board of the Newman Centre's Newman Rambler.

Before and after her retirement in 2010, she enthusiastically audited lectures in the School of Irish Studies at Concordia University. She loved traditional Irish music: she joined the Siamsa Montreal School of Irish Music, took fiddle lessons and was a regular attender at its Saturday sessions.

Pat is survived by a wide circle of friends and her family in Ireland, sister Frances, brother-in-law Joe Joyce, nieces Catherine, Joanna and Molly Joyce, grand-nephew JJ O'Connell and grand-niece Éala Joyce-Keogh. She was pre-deceased by her parents, Frank and Mary O'Rourke and her sister Mary.

Special thanks to all the medical staff in the MUHC, to Dr Samuel Benaroya and the doctors and nurses in the pulmonary and cardiac departments, who took care of Pat in recent years.

A Mass of Christian burial for her will be held at 10:30 AM on February 8, 2024 at St Patrick's Basilica, 454, René-Lévesque Blvd. West Montréal, Québec H2Z 1A7. It will be followed by a reception nearby, to which her friends are welcome.