In Memory of Her: Patricia Horsley

16 July 1930 – 28 January 2021

WATER mourns the loss of our dear friend Patricia Horsley in Sydney, Australia. She understood and appreciated WATER for decades, supporting from afar as the world became smaller and more just because of her active love.

Patricia grew up on the land she and her family have tended for generations, reverencing the people and customs that are native to it. She trained as an architect with a deep appreciation for beauty and function. She traveled the world as an Australian with a commitment to global citizenship. She was never a tourist, but always eager to learn and to contribute her wisdom. Patricia was an alumna of the Religious of the Sacred Heart schools and rarely went anywhere that she did not visit those people and institutions.

Her visits to WATER are the stuff of legend—the 4th of July when she arrived wearing an American flag patterned apron with two pouches filled with bottles of Australian Merlot; the chats over tea and treats when she would come back from her explorations of Washington, DC; the visits to the Rachel Carson House and the Washington National Cathedral where Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan whom she admired are buried. She was fascinated with all things trains, including the Silver Spring Station that was eventually renovated.

WATER extends our sympathy to the Horsley Family on the loss of a beloved elder. We treasure the decades of thoughtful letters, wonderful phone calls, generous financial support, and deep sharing of ideas. Patricia was truly a person who followed the Gospel exhortation to “go and make friends in all nations.” (Matthew 28:19-20). We miss her mightily. May she rest in Goodness.