Patricia Kayser Gehres

Patricia Kayser Gehres died peacefully on December 18, 2015 in Emerson, NJ at the age of 96. Pat was born on February 7, 1919 in Quebec, Quebec, Canada, the daughter of Maj. Charles D Kayser, MD and Mary Constance Murphy Kayser. With her father serving with the Medical Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, her mother decided to move in with her own family in Quebec while awaiting the birth of Pat, her fourth child. After her father’s sudden death in 1936, the Dominican nuns at Sacred Heart Church in Mount Vernon, NY arranged for Pat’s college tuition at Good Counsel College (now Pace University) in White Plains, NY to be free of charge, in gratitude for the medical care her father provided free of charge to the local religious. After college, Pat worked at Macy’s and, subsequently, for American Airlines. While her children, Meg and Bob, were young, Pat worked part-time at a travel agency in Woodbury, NJ. When she learned that a local Catholic high school run by the Dominican nuns was experiencing financial difficulties, Pat taught at the school for several years for $1 per year, in appreciation for the Dominican’s help with her college tuition. She also asked one of her students to paint some rooms in her home so he could earn money to pay for his prom.

During this time, Pat studied toward her Master’s Degree in Counseling, which she was awarded by Glassboro State College (now Rowan University). After receiving her degree, Pat worked at the Camden County Vocational & Technical High School in Pennsauken, NJ as a guidance counselor and director of guidance. She loved working with the students there, and retired from the school in 1984. Pat was active in multiple bridge clubs, and she played a mean game of bridge. She also loved to travel, visiting her family, countries in both Europe and the Caribbean, and taking ski trips. Her multiple attempts at learning to use a computer and access the internet were all, ultimately, unsuccessful. Pat took on the challenge of researching her family lineage and proved successful in that endeavor—all done pre-internet! She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Pat was predeceased by her five siblings Mary C. Roche, Charles D. Kayser, Jr, F.W. Kayser, Raymond A. Kayser, and John F. Kayser. She is survived by her children, Margaret G. Kane (William) and Robert R. Gehres (Christine) and her four grandchildren, Anne, Michael, Christian, and Anna. Her marriage to Robert R. Gehres ended in divorce. She will be remembered for her quick wit, her dry humor, her laughter, her religious devotion, and her generosity. Her family would especially like to thank the staff at the Armenian Home in Emerson, NJ for their kindness and devotion over the past several years, and the staff of Life Source Hospice for their kindness during Pat’s final days. Donations in Pat’s memory can be made to the Armenian Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (70 Main Street, Emerson NJ 07630) or Life Source Hospice (230 E Ridgewood Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652).

“I shall see to it, if I can, that my death makes no statement that my life has not made already.”

Michel de Montaigne, Essays