Patricia Kenney Bertz

Patricia Kenney Bertz touched so many lives being not only a mother, teacher, counselor, loved one and friend but also a champion of fairness that extended her presence even to the national scene. She was quick witted, loved to discuss current events and was a fiesty debater. She was very strong willed, and tirelessly provided support to friends and family.

Patricia was born on April 12, 1939 at St. Mary's Hospital in Albany, New York. She was the daughter of William Vincent Kenney and Margaret Genevieve O'Donnell Kenney. She grew up in Averill Park, New York, one of six children, in order: William, James (Jim), John, Margaret (Peg), Patricia and Ray.

She loved school and reading books. Her natural athletic ability was apparent early in her life. In high school she played softball; she was the catcher and her friend Delores Kronau was the pitcher.

Patricia graduated as salutatorian from Averill Park High School in 1956.

She and her sister Peg both went to nurses’ training after high school. Peg stayed in Albany, while Patricia went to Rochester to St. Mary’s Hospital, where she completed her nurses’ training in 1959. (She met many friends in nurses’ training who have stayed in touch all these years. She met with them whenever she visited her daughter Kathleen in Rochester.) She returned to Albany after finishing nurses’ training and worked in Albany as a nurse. There she met Donald Carl Durbeck, and they married on June 6, 1964.

They had three children, Kathleen Suher, Lisa Durbeck and Heidi Hershock. Although for most parents raising three kids would have been enough, she was driven to continue her education, completing her Bachelor of Arts Degree (graduating summa cum laude) from Messiah College in 1982. Professor Beck was a favorite teacher who also led a trip to France to visit cathedrals.

She then pursued graduate school, studying at home and commuting as needed to Washington DC, and earned her doctorate degree from Georgetown University in 1987. Patricia was Georgetown University's first PhD graduate in Psychology. She greatly respected her professor and mentor Norm Finkel and Gil Sherman as well.

She put her psychology degree to work, first as a professor in a number of Harrisburg area colleges, and then as a psychotherapist in Camp Hill, PA.

In 1999, she retired and married her second husband Edward J. Bertz. They moved to Lakewood Ranch, Florida.

New to Florida, she and Ed joined the tennis club and bridge groups to meet new friends. Some very close friendships developed. She had started playing tennis in Harrisburg with friends like Niki Fiscella and in “sunny Florida” she played at least once a week year round. She continued playing tennis notwithstanding her illness until the summer of 2011 and played mainly with Jeff Kahn, Bob Eaken and Dave Kostura. She loved playing bridge and had several groups throughout her life including one small group in Florida with Reggie Stocki, Anne Hicks and Mary Orlando, who played for big bucks (dimes!). They kept coming to play bridge and finally just see her each week on “bridge day” until she died.

Patricia had many friends throughout her life and never tired of listening, offering advice and providing support. She was a good, loyal friend and listener.

An excellent musician, Patricia was a cantor and choir member at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Mechanicsburg and at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Bradenton, FL. She went to church especially for the music and friendships. She remained Catholic her entire life despite being opposed to some of the churches’ tenets and practices. She sometimes jokingly called herself a “recovering Catholic”. Throughout her life, she had strong faith and dedicated herself to peace, love, justice and serving others.

Throughout her life, Patricia was a strong supporter of women, feminism and all underdogs. She served on the national board of Mary's Pence, a charity that helps struggling women gain financial independence and her choice for remembrances in lieu of flowers. www.maryspence.org

She also read the Sarasota newspaper and the New York Times, listened to NPR and kept well informed of current events, especially those having to do with the Catholic Church.

She was an avid reader her entire life. She joined a book club in Lakewood Ranch where one member recounted that she would wait with anticipation to hear Patricia’s insightful comments about each book. She also loved knitting, which she took up later in life, and did it well, showing off her artistic talent and dexterity.

She and Ed traveled extensively, visiting the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, the Canary Islands and cruising the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Danube River. Both Patricia and Ed were huge tennis fans (as long as Roger Federer won). She loved art, museums as well as nature, especially bird watching. She kept a watchful eye at all times in Florida for her favorite roseate spoonbills.

Patricia especially enjoyed visiting her daughters and her grandson Owen, born to Heidi and Chad Hershock on September 16, 2010. Although she was able to see Owen for only a small time in his life, he was an incredible joy to her.

Patricia passed away on May 28, 2012 at Tidewell Hospice in Ellenton, Florida after a long and brave fight against lung cancer. She is survived by her husband, Edward, her daughters, Kathleen Suher (Michael Hartmann), Lisa Durbeck and Heidi Hershock (Chad), her grandson Owen, brothers James Kenney and Ray Kenney (Nancy Berlove) and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and their families, who loved her.

A Celebration of Life Gathering for Patricia will be held on June 1, 2012 at Palms-Robarts Funeral Home in Sarasota, Florida.