Patricia Jean Wilson

Patricia Jean Wilson of Brick died peacefully at the age of 76 surrounded by her family on Sunday, May 7, 2023. Patricia was born in Bayonne, NJ, to Theodore and Rose Orzepowski. She attended St. Aloysius Academy in Jersey City, Georgian Court University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, and Rutgers University, where she received her master’s and doctoral degrees in developmental psychology. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at International Flavors and Fragrances in research on olfaction, she worked for most of her career as a fulltime member of the psychology faculty at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she reached the rank of associate professor with tenure. Patricia conducted research on emotion and sensory experience, with a particular focus on the aesthetic experience of flowers. She was a published author, actively taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students, and touched countless lives.

Together with her late husband John she raised two sons, Scott and David, and one daughter, Sheri, and invested deeply in the lives of her seven grandchildren. Patricia was a woman who selflessly gave to everyone whose life she touched. She was a loving and endlessly caring wife, mother, and grandmother, as well as a dedicated and devoted academic who worked tirelessly to support her students’ academic success. She was a passionate intellectual with a strong commitment to her views, who was driven by a desire to improve the lives of others. She was a woman who strove to overcome barriers, blaze new paths, and help everyone around her grow through the process. In addition to her devotion to her family and her work, she was an accomplished pianist and painter.

Patricia was predeceased by her parents Ted and Rose, and her husband John. She is survived by her children Scott, his wife Denise and their children Liam and Ella; Sheri, her partner Stephen and their children Aedan and Emma; David, his wife Kate and their children Benjamin, Annie, and Maya; and her siblings Diane, John, and Glenn. She will be dearly missed by all.

Visitation will be held on Friday May 12, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at Colonial Funeral Home, 2170 Highway 88, in Brick. A Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, 10:00 am at Church of the Epiphany inBrick. Entombment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington.