Patricia Sue Gallivan, 71, formerly of Syracuse, passed away after a brief bout with cancer at a hospital near her home in East Windsor, New Jersey.
Pat (Patty) was born in Syracuse to the late Mortimer and Bernardine (Bridges) Gallivan and graduated from St. John the Baptist High School in Syracuse in 1964 and from LeMoyne College in Syracuse in 1968.
Pat was employed for 21 years with Bristol-Myers-Squibb (BMS) in both the Syracuse and Princeton, NJ offices and retired from BMS in 2015 from her position as Associate Director of Document Management Services.
Among Pat’s previous employment stints was her position as an Event Planner for the City of Syracuse Department of Parks and Recreation during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. She also served as a Marketing Manager for the Galleries of Syracuse from 1986 to 1993.
Pat will be remembered in the Syracuse and East Windsor communities for her active participation in various nonprofit organizations and homeowners associations including the following: Publicity Chairperson for the UpDowntowners of Syracuse; Event Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County, New Jersey; Secretary of the Windsor Mill, New Jersey, HOA Board of Trustees and volunteer for the Princeton, New Jersey Senior Resource Center.
In addition to her family and friends, Pat’s great loves were music and travel. She was a huge fan of folk music artists (especially Peter, Paul and Mary) and she could never get enough of traditional Irish music, which may explain why she asked that Bill Delaney, the founder of The Flyin’ Column, a Central New York Irish band, perform at her funeral.
Pat traveled extensively during her retirement years, right up to just a few weeks before her death when she toured several European countries, stopping in Sweden to visit her nephew, Matt Decker. Recently, she also spent a wonderful few days at a Decker family reunion in Bethany Beach, Delaware, relishing life to the fullest as usual.
Pat was pre-deceased by her parents and her sister, Shirley Gallivan.
Surviving are three siblings; Mary Margaret (William) Decker of Queensbury, NY, Robert (Maureen Wood) Gallivan of East Syracuse, NY and Maureen (Harshad) Parmar of Evansville, Indiana. Other survivors of “Aunt Patty” are a host of cherished nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews who Pat often visited at locations throughout the country and with whom she shared many special memories.
Visitation will be held on WEDNESDAY, September 12, 2018 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at Keegan-Osbelt-Knight Funeral Home, 900 North Salina Street in Syracuse. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 PM at the funeral home.
Burial will be immediately following at Assumption Cemetery
An Irish-themed “Celebration of Life” party will follow at Riley’s Restaurant, 312 Park Street, Syracuse from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. Pat expressed her desire that those whose lives she may have touched in some way come to Riley’s to raise “A Parting Glass” in her memory. May the road rise up to meet you, Patty!

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