Long time Roosevelt Island resident Patricia Arzac passed away June 26, 2025. Her son Alexander shares the news and writes:
Patricia Arzac was born in 1949 in Mexico City to Dr. Jose Pedro Arzac Rodriguez and Milicent Falcone Palumbo. Educated in History and Language in institutions such as Georgetown and Sorbonne, she made her way to the City of New York in the 1970s working for the Mexican Consulate. There she met her husband and, seeking a place to put down roots to raise a family, stumbled upon the emerging neighborhood that would become her lifelong community: Roosevelt Island. A chance sighting of the tram in Midtown Manhattan led her to discover the Westview building and a 15th-floor apartment with a south-facing view of the East River that she would forever treasure. There she raised two sons, Alexander and Paul, and later became the grandmother of the two lights of her life, Katerina and Raphael. But Patricia’s light did not only touch her family, but countless neighbors of Roosevelt Island. Her warmth and uplifting spirit was loved by many on Main Street—she always made time for a chat (and sometimes a needed listening ear) for everyone she recognized on the street. In the Roosevelt Island community, we know many neighbors “by face, if not by name”, and Patricia’s face was surely among the most well-known.
A profoundly religious woman, Patricia trusted in the mercy of God, keeping all who needed grace in her prayers. After an unexpected battle with an autoimmune disease, Patricia passed away peacefully in the presence of her sons in June of 2025, and has surely found her eternal reward. She was laid to rest in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, and now all neighbors in her Roosevelt Island community are invited to remember her at a Memorial Mass and reception at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church on September 27 at 1pm. We hope to celebrate her life and how it impacted so many in her community.”
Condolences to the Arzac family, friends and neighbors.
Patricia has been a dear friend to me and l was utterly saddened by her death. I no longer live in New York however we always spent time together when l visited my son and his family in Roosevelt Island. Riposa in pace cara Patricia .
Never a hair out if place,
Always a smile on her face.
A beautiful woman in reality and spiritutuality.