Patrick Vincent Romano

Patrick Vincent Romano of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, passed away on March 28, 2023, after a 6-month battle with lung cancer, despite having never smoked a day in his life. Patrick was surrounded by his closest family and friends at the time of his passing. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Helen (Clasby) Romano, daughter, Sarah Romano of Newton, Massachusetts, and her spouse Marc Landry, son Keith Romano of Needham, Massachusetts, and his spouse Aasia Romano, and his three beloved grandchildren, Soha, Adil and Asif Romano.



Patrick was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on September 1, 1943 and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. His earliest memories include spending summer vacations on his grandfather "Pop's" farm in Newburg, New York. He would often recount how he and his cousins would drive Pop crazy by running amuck, getting in tussles, and throwing rotten peaches and apples at each other. His fondest childhood memories centered on playing baseball and basketball with his neighborhood buddies. He later attended American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, as a formidable student-athlete who excelled in the sciences and on the varsity basketball team. He went on to earn a PhD in Chemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he studied the electrochemical properties of Nickel. Patrick also met his future wife, Helen, during graduate school. By chance, the two shared an adjoining 3-decker apartment in Worcester, and as the story goes, Helen said to herself at first glance, "wow this guy is cute" as she passed him one day in the stairwell.



After earning his PhD, Patrick "Doc Rom" joined the Department of Chemistry at Westfield State University, where he rose through the ranks to become Department Chair. He remained steadfast and loyal to the University, teaching for 50 years that spanned the entirety of his career until his retirement in 2021. Doc Rom's love of teaching was surpassed only by his dedication to mentorship. His connection to young students sustained him throughout his career. His family cannot recall one occasion when Doc Rom missed commencement – he was so proud of every student who walked on graduation day. Both in and out of class, he supported his students with patience, affability, and humor, but fiercely refused to water-down academic rigor. Many students fell victim to his grading. As aptly summarized by one anonymous student on ratemyprofessor.com, Doc Rom was "the only professor in the world that can fail you and you won't have a negative thing to say about him."



Outside of his career in teaching, Patrick was active in sports, much preferring to play rather than watch. He played in old-timer golf leagues, senior softball circuits, and developed a large network of cronies who shared his passion to participate in sports to the bitter end. He was a talented middle infielder with quick hands that could turn the most spectacular double plays, though his skills were always muted by his humility. He traveled the country with his teams, playing tournaments in Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, Nevada, and New York. He regretfully missed his first tournament last year, scheduled in Cuba, because of his lung cancer diagnosis. But his desire to get back on the softball diamond willed him to endure the pain and breathlessness of therapy.



More than anything, Patrick cherished spending quality time with his family. His family can now reflect on a lifetime of wonderful memories: yearly Cape Cod vacations; clamming in the muck; skiing at Wachusett Mountain from open until close (allowing one break only); long hikes in the woods; the annual ritual of grandpa doing a headstand (his last stand at age 78); insistence on "warming up the voices" before singing Happy Birthday; and celebrating every 10,000 miles driven in the car with several minutes of obnoxious horn honking (even when alone). He adored his three grandchildren, Soha, Adil and Asif, and instilled in them essential Italian slang, such as madon, mezza mezz and stunad. Patrick took great comfort in their company in his final months and days, cherishing reading "Who was?" books with them or quizzing them with math facts. On the day before suffering a catastrophic complication, he sat outside in a camp chair one last time, smiling ear-to-ear as he watched his grandkids playing ball in the backyard, calling balls and strikes as he saw it. The rain poured down on the day of his death, but as he took his final breath, the sun shined through on those by his side who loved him.

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Visitation will be held at the Magni Funeral Home, 365 Watertown Street, Newton, Massachusetts from 5 to 8 PM on Friday March 31, 2023. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM on Saturday April 1, 2023, at Saint Anne - Saint Patrick Parish, 16 Church Street, Sturbridge, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the charity of your choice.