Patricia "Patsy" Kendall

Patricia “Patsy” Cox Kendall, 85, of Durham, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Patsy was born on July 13, 1940, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Hadley and Ruth Cox and was raised in Wilmington, Delaware. She graduated from Wilmington Friends School in 1958 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sweet Briar College in 1962.

In 1962, Patsy married the love of her life, Kennett “Skip” Russell Kendall Jr. of Rochester, New Hampshire, who predeceased her after 62 years of marriage. Their romance began in college when they met aboard the SS Independence while traveling to Europe for a summer trip. They were married later that year in Patsy’s hometown of Wilmington.

Patsy is survived by her three children, Sheldon Lee Kendall, Kennett “Rusty” Russell Kendall III, and Stephanie Kendall Jaggars; her in-laws, Alice Kendall and Jeff Jaggars; eleven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and her siblings, Penney Hubbard and Hank Cox. She was predeceased by her parents.

A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, Patsy embraced family life with warmth, energy, and grace. In the early years of her marriage, she took on the challenge of adapting to life in Northern New England after growing up in the Mid-Atlantic, enthusiastically embracing long winters and even learning to ski as an adult. After welcoming their three children, Patsy and Skip built a ski house at Loon Mountain, spending countless weekends traveling New Hampshire’s winding roads with cars full of children, food, and pets. Later in life she continued her love of cross-country skiing and hiking at Bretton Woods.

Summers were spent hiking in the White Mountains and playing tennis in York Harbor. Later in life, Patsy built a home on Great Bay, which became a cherished gathering place for children and grandchildren to enjoy swimming, tennis, boating, sledding, and the beauty of the natural setting. She deeply loved her large extended family and treasured reunions in Wilmington and Washington, D.C., especially the memorable Thanksgiving celebrations shared together.

In addition to raising a family and being a supportive partner to her entrepreneurial husband, Patsy was generous with both her time and resources and remained committed to her community and philanthropic causes throughout her life. She was an active member of the Piscataqua Garden Club, York Golf and Tennis Club and The Reading Room. Organizations she supported included The Nature Conservancy, Berwick Academy, Northeast Passage, Spaulding Youth Center, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Camp Agawam, and many others.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Northeast Passage in Durham, NH.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at St. George’s Episcopal Church in York Harbor, ME.