Patricia Xavier Savoie

Patricia Xaviar Savoie

23 April 1944 – 30 September 2025

A life well lived, well traveled, well fed, and well loved.

Patricia was born in Sebring, Florida, to Francis and Marjorie (Baldwin) Savoie, and raised in Schenectady, NY. She graduated from Barnard (BA, '66), the New School (MA, '68), and New York University (MBA, '70). She worked for the European Common Market, Westinghouse, McKinsey and IBM. She pivoted from the corporate world to become an accomplished free-lance wine, food and travel writer, based in NYC, breaking a path for women in the wine publishing world and enjoying a remarkable 50-year career. She was a columnist for the Sommelier Journal, ICON magazine and wrote for several other industry publications. She was a member of The Wine Media Guild of New York, the professional wine writer's organization, and served as its chair for many years. She was the author of "A Wine Tasting Course" (McKay, 1978).

Patricia was exceptionally well traveled, having visited about 70 countries, many of them multiple times. In the early 1970s, she and her partner, John Gottfried, spent a year and a half traveling around the world, covering South America to Easter Island, across the south Pacific, throughout India, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. They then traveled through the Soviet Union via Siberia and onto Europe for several months. She had many other adventures with both John and favorite friends, including Barnard classmate and lifelong friend, Bertha Walker.

Those lucky few of us who knew her and loved her were made better by her truly gentle soul. Once known and trusted well enough to be admitted into her private world, her friends benefitted endlessly from her joyful kindnesses and her wry sense of humor. Every dinner table at which she sat was enhanced by her engaging conversation, her recounting of travel adventures, and (lucky us) her phenomenal wine and food expertise. In her last days, she asked that we share, "Know that she loved her friends." And, dear Pat, we pray you knew that you were loved, deeply and dearly, in return.

Pat is survived by her beloved partner, John Gottfried, loving cousin, Dale Spaulding, devoted friend, Bertha Walker, cherished godson, Dan Altieri, several treasured friends and wonderful neighbors.

Her passing brings us great sadness and leaves of jagged hole in our lives.

In lieu of flowers, Pat asked that friends make a memorial donation to one of her favorite theatres, the Atlantic Theatre or Rattlestick Theatre in NYC, or to your local theatre.

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