By Lexi Sugar

For The Diamondback

Patricia Kirwan, a former “First Lady” of the University of Maryland, died in her Rockville home on Oct. 3 after suffering complications from multiple myeloma. She was 80.

Kirwan, whom loved ones called “Patty,” was an educator, animal-lover and the wife of former university President, William “Brit” Kirwan.

“We actually met in the seventh grade. I sat behind her in school,” Brit Kirwan said.

Both Patty and Brit Kirwan grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, where they attended middle and high school together.

Although they were both in different relationships by the time high school was drawing to a close, Brit Kirwan said, that all changed after a senior weekend trip to Washington, D.C. A “matchmaker” on the trip arranged for he and Patty to sit together on the bus, Brit Kirwan said.

“By the time the trip … ended, we were holding hands and we had been together for 62 years since that day,” said Brit Kirwan.

The Kirwans lived in New Jersey, where she worked as a teacher while he earned his graduate degree in mathematics at Rutgers University. They came to College Park so he could take a position in this university’s math department.

Over the years — as her husband became department chair, provost, president and finally system chancellor — Patty Kirwan touched countless lives, forging friendships that spanned decades, her daughter Ann Elizabeth Horton said.

Horton, a Silver Spring resident, lived with her parents in the president’s residence in University Park while she attended this university and her father was president.

“I remember mom and I sitting out on the front step one Saturday morning. I had my head in a towel and we were both in our robes and laughing that we were The Beverly Hillbillies,” Horton said. “It was just so surreal that we — the family of a math professor — [were] now living in this incredibly beautiful university-provided home that was just so lovely.”

Patty Kirwan was not a public person by nature, but being the wife of a university president required her to host and attend countless parties and events for visiting donors, alumni and community members, Horton said.

“She was a naturally very shy person,” said her son William Kirwan III. “She worked very hard to come out of her shell. She did a public speaking class – Toastmasters International. She forced herself to learn how to do it well. It really touched a lot of people.”

She was an “incredible partner” when it came to meeting the demands of university leadership, Brit Kirwan said.

“She had a graciousness and a charm and a selflessness that endeared her to everybody that ever met her,” Kirwan said.

But it was her sincerity that set her apart, Horton said.

“She never lost touch with the real people,” Horton said. “She would do what she needed to entertain and fulfill that role, but then we would go back in the kitchen and kick off our shoes and hang out with the crew that was working.”

One of those crew members was Jenna Buttler. She met Kirwan as a caterer at Hidden Waters, the residence of the system chancellor. The two forged a friendship that lasted more than a decade.

“Patty Kirwan was a joy that I found at work that I never would have imagined finding,” Buttler said, who is now special events director for the system.

The two became so close that Kirwan called Buttler her “favorite daughter” and even threw a baby shower for her.

“When Patty passed, the first thing they said was, ‘You’re her other daughter, you need to make sure you’re here too for everything,’” Buttler said.

Her “vivacious” personality, according to Brit Kirwan, is what most people were drawn to.

“She was Brit’s partner and confidante during his service as president and chancellor,” said university President Wallace Loh in a statement. “As ‘first lady’ of a campus, she was beloved for her grace and energy as she hosted events for alumni and friends of the university. She will be missed.”

Joel Cohen, a math professor at the university, said he met Kirwan on a trip to Italy, during which a small international group of mathematicians taught six-week summer classes.

“My wife and I frequently spent afternoons and evenings with the Kirwan family. We remained close after that,” Cohen said.

In addition to being a dedicated professional and educator, Patty was also “an unbelievable animal lover,” who was “constantly rescuing pets and dogs,” said Brit Kirwan.

“This is a lady who would get her dogs in the car and take them to McDonald’s and get them a cheeseburger,” her son said.

The HART Animal Center building in Garrett County was renamed the Patricia H. Kirwan Center in July 2014. Patty Kirwan was a major donor to the center, a 6.5-acre site that includes walking trails, a veterinary clinic, a pet hotel and an adoption facility.

Patty Kirwan is survived by her husband, two children and five grandchildren, as well as her siblings Benjamin Harper and Deborah Hallock.

Senior staff writer Brooks DuBose contributed to this article.