Patricia Ann Corcoran

“Be who you are and be that well” St. Francis de Sales

Patricia Ann Corcoran (nee Conroy), daughter of the late Frank and Madeline (Donnelly) Conroy, died peacefully at home on Friday, October 9, 2026, at the age of 96, in the loving company of family, friends and caregivers.

Pat, who was Muzz to her grandchildren and Pete to her father and her husband, Joseph, lived a long and full life during which she played many roles and cultivated many friendships. A young legal secretary in Manhattan, a Navy wife, mother of five, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of twelve, she was also a successful real estate agent, artist, librarian, traveler, devoted correspondent and, throughout her life, an independent and curious woman.

Born in Totowa, New Jersey, Pat grew up collecting comic books and baseball cards and was known for her skill at shooting marbles. She attended Benedictine Academy where she played basketball and softball, graduating in 1948. After business school, she worked as a legal secretary on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan before marrying Joseph P. Corcoran Jr. and beginning the next chapter of her life as a Navy wife and mother.

After raising her children, Pat returned to work as faculty assistant at Temple University's Ambler campus, receiving the University's Ambassador Award in 1981. Later, she discovered a passion and talent for sales, first in the automobile business and then as a successful real estate agent.

Following the loss of her husband Joe and several close family members, Pat reinvented herself yet again. Always curious and expressive, she developed her love of painting and travel, spending many winters in Mexico, first in San Miguel de Allende and later in Puerto Vallarta. In San Miguel, she enjoyed the company of an international circle of friends, pursued her painting and helped raise money for the local library.

Wherever she went, Pat made and maintained friendships. She was a letter writer, an artist and a woman who enjoyed people and ideas. Fiercely independent, creative and inclined to think outside the box, she brought a gentle optimistic perspective to everything she did.

Pat was deeply devoted to her family. She never remarried after the death of her husband Joseph, convinced that she would never meet another man quite like him. Among our favorite photographs are those that capture the twinkle in her eye and the tenderness of her hands holding her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph P. Corcoran Jr.; her daughter, Patricia Corcoran Griffin; and her sister, Claire Conroy Sears. Muzz is survived by her children: Mary Beth Corcoran McCauley (James M.), Joseph P. Corcoran III (Sharon Mullin Corcoran), Vincent J. Corcoran and Matthew F. Corcoran; her son-in-law Thomas D. Griffin; nine grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation at Ruth Funeral Home, 8413 Germantown Ave., Chestnut Hill, PA 19118, on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 6 to 8 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Mother of Consolation Catholic Church, 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 10 am.

The mass will be preceded by a visitation beginning at 9 am.

Interment at Calvery Cemetery in West Conshohocken PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in her name be made to the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging https://pcacares.org/ or Philabundance.org, a non-profit food bank serving the Philadelphia region.