Patricia Rosemary Cordell

Patricia Rosemary Cordell, age 82, of Nashua, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully at her home with her adult children at her side, on May 2, 2026. She was surrounded by love and guided by her faith which brought her comfort as she journeyed through her final days. She approached her passing with strength, grace, and acceptance, and felt her loved ones were prepared to sail on and her life’s work was now complete.

Patricia was born to William and Alice Cordell in 1944 in Oxford, England, in a home established as a refuge for expectant mothers during World War II. Her parents had been married on September 3, 1939—the very day Great Britain declared war on Germany. While William served in the Royal Air Force, Alice worked in London. While awaiting Patricia’s birth, Alice relocated to the English countryside to a mansion generously opened to the wives of servicemen seeking safety from the bombings. Although the war ended in 1945, it took time for life to return back to normal, so it was not until 1947 when William returned home from the war permanently. Patricia recalled her earliest memory as the joyful moment when her father came home to stay.

Eventually, Patricia and her parents moved to a northern suburb of London, in a town named Potters Bar where Patricia experienced many cherished years from childhood to adulthood. She had a very happy childhood going to dancing and piano lessons, becoming a Brownie and then a Girl Guide, and attending church and Sunday School. Although they didn’t have a lot of money, her father would bring her mother and her into London for dinner and to the theatre to see a show every year. They regularly took in an orphan to allow her time away from her local orphanage, which Patricia particularly enjoyed.

Patricia left school at sixteen-years-old to begin work, and travelled daily into London to her job in office administration at Great Ormond Street, a well-known children’s hospital. She also joined a local theatre company, and was a regular cast member dancing and singing in a variety of musicals. Patricia remained in Potters Bar after marrying and it was there where her two children were born and raised. She was surrounded by several generations of family and lifelong friends. It was a place where Patricia always felt most at home.

In 1983, Patricia’s husband’s work brought the family to the United States, settling first in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. With courage and devotion, Patricia focused on helping her children adjust to a new country, culture, and way of life, guiding them as they built their futures in America. Over the years, she also made homes in Acton, Massachusetts; Victoria, Minnesota; and Amherst, New Hampshire. She at last felt she had truly found a home in the United States when she moved to Nashua, New Hampshire in 2016, where she was grateful to be close to her children and grandchildren.

Throughout most of her life, Patricia worked as an administrative assistant within various hospital systems and church offices. Yet her greatest life’s work was the love and care she poured into her family. She was a devoted mother to her children, Jazmine Wood (formerly James Wood) of Lowell, MA and Nicola (Wood) Gribbin of Tyngsborough, MA, and a deeply treasured grandmother to Abigail, Anna, and Alison Gribbin. She also held a special bond with her son-in-law, David Gribbin, and she played an important role in helping Nicola and David raise their three beautiful daughters.

Patricia’s faith was central to her life, and she was always deeply connected to her church community. After moving to Nashua, NH she found The Congregational Church of Hollis where she led the Knitting Ministry Team, lovingly creating hats for children in need, baby blankets, and prayer shawls. She participated in the Fellowship and Hospitality Ministry Team and volunteered whenever she was needed at her church, such as the blood donation drives. She was happiest when giving of herself and helping others. She also enjoyed needlepoint, reading, and music, and was particularly moved by any musical scores enriched by violin harmony, as she had grown up listening to her father play violin. An annual event she particularly looked forward to was watching the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on television, a love she had always shared with her mother.

Patricia was profoundly grateful for her medical care team, lead by Dr. Philip Saylor, Erika Meneely, NP, and Dr. Frank McGovern at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute in Boston. She felt supported and reassured by her medical team every step of the way and was grateful for their positive outlook and gentle shift from hope for a cure to a shared hope for peace and comfort. She was also thankful for the attentive and compassionate care she and her family received from Home Health and Hospice Care from Merrimack, NH.

Patricia was known for her sweet, kind, and gentle spirit. She had a quiet way of making everyone feel valued, and important, and always remembered special events and concerns regarding her family and friends. She was so genuinely loved by those around her that she often found herself embraced as part of the family in many other circles of relatives and friends. Beneath her humble and unassuming nature was a woman of strength, wit, conviction, and resilience who continually grew stronger through life’s challenges. Patricia will be remembered for her unwavering devotion to family, her loving and gentle heart, her generosity, and the grace with which she lived her life. In the final season of her illness, Patricia was deeply moved and astonished by the outpouring of love and support she received from family and friends. In her characteristic humility, she could hardly understand how so much could be given to “just little ole me.”

In addition to her children, grandchildren and son-in-law, Patricia is survived by her cousins Geoff, Graham, Richard, Alan and Tim Cordell, as well as extended family in both England and the United States.

SERVICES: A Celebration of Life will be held at The Congregational Church of Hollis in Hollis, New Hampshire on Saturday, May 16 at 2:00pm. A light reception will follow. She loved color and joy in life; guests are encouraged to reflect that in their attire. Patricia’s ashes will be brought home and laid down beside the ashes of her parents at the West Herts Crematorium in Watford, England.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Congregational Church of Hollis UCC, 3 Monument Square, Hollis, NH 03049 in Patricia Cordell’s memory.