Rosalie Patton

Rosalie Patton, who devoted more than four decades to passionately caring for others as a critical care nurse and mentoring young nurses as a supervisor, died peacefully at home in Kingston, Pennsylvania on July 20, 2025. She was 80.

Born in 1945 in Kingston, Rosalie and her twin brother Ralph, who survives her, were the children of the late Rose Marie and Ralph Brunza, Sr. After graduating from Kingston High School in 1963, where she excelled academically and as a talented member of the field hockey team with an enviable height and reach, Rosalie earned her nursing degree in 1966 from Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing. A lifelong learner, she also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Wilkes College, while working full time and raising her family. Rosalie was justly proud that, with her family's encouragement, she was the first person in her family to obtain a post-secondary school degree.

Rosalie's nursing career and volunteer activities were marked by a quiet, but energetic, compassion for others. She was inspired by her loving parents, both of whom were deaf, to actively support the Wilkes-Barre Deaf Club, where her father was a charter member.

She also volunteered at the Women's Health Clinic at St. Stephen's Church in Wilkes-Barre. She served as a nurse and nurse supervisor at Mercy Hospital and then General Hospital. Rosalie's warm, endearing personality and enthusiasm nurtured enduring friendships with patients, doctors, and staff throughout her career. She continued her nursing and volunteer work well into her 70s.

Rosalie met the love of her life, Ted Patton, during one of the popular Saturday Night Dances at the famous Stardust Ballroom in Downtown Wilkes-Barre.

She and Ted, who survives her, were married in 1968 and recently celebrated their 57th anniversary. Their son, Christopher, who also survives her, was born in 1969. Rosalie was immensely proud of Chris for earning a doctorate in pharmacy and inheriting her love for animals and travel.

Rosalie always felt fortunate to travel throughout Europe and the U.S., accompanied by Ted or her circle of cherished, inseparable friends, who she viewed as sisters and whose offspring she treated as beloved nieces and nephews.

Rosalie was also a voracious reader both abroad and at home, with a range of interests from fiction to history and current events. Books were stacked on teetering piles throughout her home, alongside daily local and national newspapers. She adored the nearby Hoyt Library and enthusiastically discussed current events and shared book recommendations with friends and neighbors.

A skilled gardener, Rosalie's backyard always blossomed and was one of her favorite spots to entertain guests — except during Penn State football games, when nothing came between Rosalie and the Nittany Lion television broadcast, which she faithfully watched while wearing headphones because she preferred the team's radio broadcasters. She was a passionate Nittany Lion fan, always ready to recall a thrilling game or offer an animated critique about the cause of a wrenching loss.

Rosalie also loved her dogs Missy, Tiffer, and Buffy, as well as every neighborhood dog she always stopped to greet and pet during her frequent walks and bike rides.

Celebration of Rosalie's Life takes place in the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola, 339 N. Maple Avenue in Kingston on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Visitation begins at 9 AM, and a Funeral Mass begins at 10 AM.

Burial in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Hanover Township will be private.

Donations to St. Jude's Hospital or your favored charity are preferred and will honor Rosalie's memory.

Share memories and condolences with Rosalie's family at mjmclaughlin.com