Obituary of Patricia Ann Rothwell

Patricia Ann Whitner Rothwell, OCDS, was born on April 18, 1933 in Reading, Pennsylvania, and passed away peacefully after a brief time in hospice near her home in Apollo Beach, Florida, on June 23, 2019. She was the last surviving child of Mary Deck and Harry Davis Whitner, having been predeceased by her 2 older sisters, Dorothy (Dot) and Mary Jane, and 2 older brothers, Harry Davis (Dave) and Calvin Klein (CK). She also survived two husbands, David Michael Norris and Bernard J. Rothwell, II. As a widow, and a person of deep spiritual connection, she was called to associate herself with the Discalced Carmelites Secular Order and became a member in order to live a life of fraternal communion and contemplative prayer, following the examples of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. During her lifetime, she faced and overcame many challenges, including the death of her father when she was just twelve years old. She graduated from high school at 16 and enrolled at Sweet Briar College, where she studied for two years before leaving at 18 years of age to assist her mother, who was working as a supervisor of a boarding house for students in Boston. She worked for United Airlines in Boston when they first began transcontinental flights, and then relocated to the Oakland Bay Area of California where she had five daughters, and then immersed herself in taking care of her growing family. After many moves across the country and back, including living in Cincinnati, Ohio, Weston, Massachusetts, Wentworth, New Hampshire, and on the East Coast of Florida, she finally settled in Apollo Beach, where she could be close to her growing number of grandchildren and enjoy the warm climate. She became well known around her wider community as she provided Eucharist and home visitation to countless members of her parish community, tirelessly serving those in need no matter where they were, and generously supporting St. Anne’s Parish as well as other organizations dedicated to supporting children in need. She is survived by all five of her daughters, Kathleen Norris of Wentworth, NH, Patricia Ann Randolph of Cincinnati, OH, Ann Elizabeth Alderman of Riverview, FL, Kristin Marie Shannon of Cincinnati, OH and Jeannette Marie Gibbons of Apollo Beach, FL. She loved being the grand and great-grandmother to her 11 grandchildren and their children, and she never wavered in her Catholic faith. If anyone would like to make a contribution in her honor, please consider Boys Town, through boystown.org, where, “Regardless of a person’s background, race or religion, Boys Town believes that everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential.”