Patricia Ann (Rooney) Griffo, 83, of New Smyrna Beach, FL, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, October 11, 2021. Born in Elmhurst, NY, on April 21, 1938, Pat is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Tim Jolley, and her beloved grandchildren, Sean, Matthew, and Samantha Jolley, of New Smyrna Beach; and her brother and sister-in-law, John and Dorothy Rooney, of Southold, NY. Pat has been reunited in heaven with her husband of fifty years, Richard Anthony Griffo, her dear son, Richard Anthony Griffo, Jr., and her parents, John and Sarah Rooney.
A proud “Bishop’s Girl,” Pat graduated from Bishop McDonnell High School in Brooklyn, NY. She attended St. John’s University as an evening student while working full-time for the university. There she met fellow history major, Richie, whom she married on June 19, 1965, after earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors. She became the registrar at Queensborough Community College. Following a move to central New Jersey, Pat was a scheduling officer at Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ, and then retired as the registrar at Raritan Valley Community College, in Branchburg, NJ.
A Brooklyn Dodgers fan in her youth, Pat passed on the fun of scoring baseball games to her children, along with her love of maps and music. Pat and Richie enjoyed their retirement in New Smyrna Beach, doting on their grandchildren and spending time with their family, including many cherished cousins. Pat played weekly games with her dear friends, the “bridge girls,” for more than twenty years. Pat touched the lives of so many and will be missed each day.
In her honor, memorial donations may be made to the Human Services Ministry, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 4000 S. Atlantic Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 or the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, P.O. Box 15, Strasburg, PA 17579. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 18, 2021 at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 4000 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach, FL. Burial in Deltona Memorial Gardens will immediately follow.
