Patricia E. Kadvan

Patricia was born on January 23, 1942 to James Gerard Hall and Mary Horak and had a half-brother Jim Brooks and half-sister Ann Hall (aka Peggy) who are both deceased.

Patricia married her beloved husband John Kadvan in 1968, and they remained together through John’s unexpected death in 2000. John and Pat are survived by their son Alexander, who was born in 1971.

Patricia lived in New York City on East 96th Street for the past 56 years in a beautiful sun-filled apartment overflowing with pictures from her stage career, mementos from her travels, her artwork and pictures of her many friends and beloved family. Her singing career led her to Zurich, Switzerland, Kaiserslautern, Germany and Basel, Switzerland. Later in life she frequently returned to Basel and spent much of her time during the past two decades in Losonne, Switzerland.

Patricia was born at home and delivered by her father in their walk-up apartment on First Avenue between 64th and 65th Street in New York City. She showed an early talent for singing and briefly attended The High School of Music and Art High in Harlem before attending and graduating from Julia Richman High School on the Upper East Side in 1959. Patricia’s love for music and singing led her to several seasons of Summer Stock performances before she focused on Opera and attended the Mannes College of Music. She soon started winning roles in operas such as Mimi in La Boheme, Tosca, Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, Micaela in Carmen and Liu in Turandot with regional opera companies throughout the New York City area including The Amato Opera, New York Grand Opera, Brooklyn Lyric Opera, Connecticut State Opera and Rochester Opera Theater.

In 1977 Patricia joined the prestigious International Opera Studio in Zurich, Switzerland. While there, she had the opportunity to sing the role of Julia in the Dvorak opera Der Jakobiner at the Zurich Opera. After living in Zurich for a year, Patricia moved to Kaiserslautern, Germany where she was the leading soprano at the Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern. After a season and a half there, Patricia landed an extended contract with the Basel Stadttheater in Switzerland. It was there that she made many friendships that lasted through today and cemented a love for all things “Swiss”. Starting in 2005, Patricia split her time between New York and Switzerland. While in Switzerland among friends she was able to reconnect with her former opera Stage Director, Martin Markun, with whom she established and enjoyed a two-decades-long relationship, life partners. Sadly, Martin passed away in May 2023.

In addition to singing, Patricia was an avid painter and calligrapher. She enjoyed painting things from platters to wine glasses, giving many of them away to friends and family. She designed and created many wedding invitations and holiday cards, spending hours meticulously handwriting all the mailing addresses on the envelopes. She also loved drawing portraits of friends and especially her granddaughters. Patricia loved musical theater and regularly attended performances on and off-Broadway.

Later in life, what she loved most of all was being a grandmother and being known simply as “Nana”. She would often block time in her schedule and tell her friends she was unavailable to go out “just in case” she needed to babysit her granddaughters Sydney and Chloe. She loved spending time with them, picking them up from school and having them over to her house for “movie night”.

Patricia was always a positive reinforcer to those around her encouraging them to pursue their dreams as she had. She was always for the underdog and tried to inspire those who needed that little push to succeed with a boost in their self-confidence. Patricia was known for her kindness, warmth and love. She always had a smile on her face with a cheerfulness that was infectious which is reflected in how people remember her.

Patricia is survived by her devoted son Alexander Kadvan, loving granddaughters Sydney and Chloe and caring daughter-in-law Sarah Fanning. She’s also survived by her beloved nieces Christine and Geraldine Goetz, Cynthia Lane and Kristina Steiner, nephews William, JohnE and Thomas Goetz, as well as numerous great nieces and nephews.

While Patricia’s last years were a challenge due to the effects of Alzheimer's Disease, she remained at home with Alex and his family across the hall as a constant and loving presence. She was also cared for by three incredibly dedicated and compassionate caretakers: Kamo, Virginia and Dolly.

Patricia passed away surrounded by her loved ones. She will be missed by all who knew her and especially by Alex, Sarah, Sydney and Chloe.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Patricia's memory can be made to the Alzheimer's Association through this link: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=906292

A public visitation for Patricia will be held Wednesday, August 28, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel, 1076 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10028.

A funeral mass of christian burial will occur on Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 10:00 AM at St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church, 135 E 96th St, New York, NY 10128. A graveside service will follow at 11:45 AM at Calvary Cemetery, 49-02 Laurel Hill Blvd, New York, NY 11377.