09/08/2026
Sunday night, Patricia Cropsey passed away peacefully in her sleep.
It is with profound sadness that we share this loss with a community Pat loved deeply—and that loved her just as deeply in return.
Pat lived a beautiful and remarkable life, rooted in family, hard work, history, and an extraordinary sense of responsibility for the people and place around her.
She studied fashion at the University of Vermont and later worked in fashion until, as the story goes, she met her future husband, Jim Cropsey on the ski slopes. Together, they made their life at the Cropsey home and built far more than a farm or family legacy. They helped build a community.
Pat understood that legacy is not simply what we leave behind, but how we live while we are here - the people we welcome, the traditions we protect, the stories we remember, and the places we care for.
As President of the Historical Society of Rockland County and Member of American Association of University Women, Pat dedicated herself to preserving the history of the community she called home. She remembered names, families, stories, and pieces of history that might otherwise have been forgotten. To Pat, history was always about people.
And she always wanted to know what was happening at the farm.
“All right, what’s going on today? What’s the plan?”
She listened, asked questions, paid attention, and made sure things got done. If Pat decided something needed to happen, it happened - and it was done well, efficiently, and with grace.
Every Friday, Pat received flowers from the farm. Whatever was blooming that week was gathered into a bouquet and brought to her. She loved those flowers and proudly showed them to anyone who came through her door.
There is something especially fitting about remembering Pat through flowers.
A farm teaches us that life moves in seasons. We plant. We tend. We wait. And then something beautiful blooms.
The beauty of a flower is never diminished because it cannot bloom forever. Neither is the beauty of a life.
What matters is that it bloomed at all. That it brought joy. That it was shared. That because it was here, the world around it became a little more beautiful.
Pat did that for this community.
Her presence is woven into this place—in its history, its traditions, the children who will continue to walk these fields, the families who will gather here, and perhaps, in a special way, in every flower that blooms.
Rest peacefully, Pat.
Thank you for the life you lived, the history you preserved, the community you helped build, and the love you gave so freely.
You were deeply loved. And you always will be.
Services will be held September 19th at Higgins Funeral Home in New City at 10 am
Immediately after, A Celebration of Life will be held at the Cropsey Farm from 3- 6 pm all are welcomed.
