Patricia A. Maciel

Patricia A. (Ross) Maciel, 84, passed away January 22, 2024. Patricia was born in Pawtucket, the daughter of the late Raymond and Elizabeth (Kelly) Ross. She was the loving and devoted wife of John Maciel Jr., married 61 years. Their enduring and unconditional love was inconceivable.

She leaves behind her daughter Kelly Baccari and her son and wife respectively, Christopher and Venita Maciel. She was a loving and extremely engaged grandmother, affectionately known as Nana, to Michael Baccari and Samuel and Zachary Maciel. She is survived by her brother, Raymond Ross Jr., and her sister, Doreen Walker. Her family and friends will always remember her empathy, compassion, loyalty, and as a woman of great faith.

Patricia graduated from Rhode Island College (RIC) with a Bachelors Degree in Education and Masters Degree in English. She was not shy about correcting pronunciation to grammar and although frustrating at the time, there were no ‘Rho-di-lan’ accents coming out of her house. Her appreciation for RIC led to years of service as an active member of the alumni and fundraising board of directors, including a long stint as President, where she was recognized with many awards for outstanding achievements.

After college, Patricia was a teacher at The Holy Name School for 12 years. The fact that 40+ years later so many students maintained contact with, and spoke fondly of her, are a testament to her commitment to teaching. Eventually her entrepreneurial spirit led to her opening Basic Skills, Inc., a full service, tutoring agency. And several years later, looking for a change from education, she went on to RI Association for the Blind where she served as the Managing Director for 5 years that included the acquisition of a new, state of the art facility and renamed INSIGHT.

Ready for the next non-profit challenge, she joined Fatima Hospital as the Director of Development where she ultimately retired as a highly regarded and successful fundraising professional.

Patricia exuded confidence and class personally and professionally and there was no better an advocate to have in your corner as a teacher, leader, or friend. She was a devoted and active Catholic serving as a Eucharistic Minister and lector in the Genesis Community, Holy Name, Saint Sebastian’s, and Saint Thomas More parish. In addition, she spent many years serving as an officer and on the board of directors at the Saint Antoine Community.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, January 26th at 10:30 am in Saint Thomas More Church, 53 Rockland Street, Narragansett, RI 02882. Burial will follow in the RI Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery, 301 South County Trail, Exeter, RI 02822. Calling hours are Thursday, January 25 from 5-7pm in Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Saint Antoine Community, 10 Rhodes Ave, North Smithfield, RI 02896.