Patricia Scatoloni

Patricia Scataloni

Peace Corps Press Release:

Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Volunteer Patricia D. Scatoloni

WASHINGTON, D.C. January 4, 2005 – Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez announced today with deep sadness the death of Patricia D. Scatoloni, a 74-year old Peace Corps volunteer serving in Macedonia. Patricia died as a result of natural causes on Saturday, January 1.

“Even though she had just begun her two year service, because of her passion and experience, Patricia knew how to step into a community and make a real difference, immediately. People with a lifetime commitment to education and serving others are extraordinary, and her loss is deeply saddening to all the people she touched in her years of teaching,” said Director Vasquez.

Patricia began her training in Veles and Prevalec, Macedonia in September 2004, and was sworn in as a volunteer on December 6. With her approximately 50 years of teaching experience at the primary school level, Patricia gained the respect of her peers and host family during training. She put her teaching skills to use, helping the mother of her host family learn English while she learned Macedonian. She developed a close bond with her host family and particularly enjoyed learning to cook traditional Macedonian foods and desserts.

Assigned to teach in the village of Leskoec as an English Language Resource Teacher, Patricia made a lasting impression in her short time there by reaching out to staff and parents. The school director and her colleagues told Peace Corps staff that they were amazed by Patricia’s enthusiasm, creativity, and energy for improving English language instruction in the school. The teachers in Leskoec particularly were excited for the opportunity to work with Patricia because they were eager to share ideas about teaching and other cross-cultural information that would enrich their lives, since they have never been to the U.S.

In her aspiration statement for the Peace Corps, Patricia wrote: “From my Peace Corps experience, I hope to live, work and make new friends in another country. I find that even after teaching 50 years in the U.S., I am eager to work in this new setting. When I was a child, I carried my Sunday school offering to church in an envelope, on which was printed, ‘come over to Macedonia and help us.’ Here I come!”

A resident of Pasadena, Calif., Patricia taught pre-kindergarten classes in Los Angeles public schools for over 18 years and kindergarten and first grade classes in the White Plains, N.Y. school district for nearly 24 years. Since 1997, Patricia had been acting as a full-time elementary school substitute teacher in the Pasadena public school system. She held a master’s degree in education from California State University and a bachelor’s degree in education from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Patricia is survived by her daughter Barbara, sons Michael and Frank Jay, and her sister Joan Walter, among other relatives.


Jan 28, 2005
Buffalo News

Patricia R. Scatoloni, whose longtime dream was to join the Peace Corps, died Jan. 1 after a brief illness, while serving in the Peace Corps in Macedonia. She was 74.

A native of Buffalo, the former Patricia Devine graduated from Bennett High School and Buffalo State College. She also earned a master’s degree from California State University-Domingues Hills.

For many years, she taught kindergarten and first grade in White Plains schools, Los Angeles Unified School District and Pasadena (Calif.) City Schools. She joined the Peace Corps last year and was assigned to teach English to Macedonian children.

A niece, Betsy DiVita of Clarence, described her aunt as a “fun- loving, adventure-seeking young 74-year-old.”

Although she left Buffalo in the 1950s, Mrs. Scatoloni maintained an active social circle in the Buffalo area and spent summers at Chautauqua Institution and the Lake Erie shore.

Survivors include two sons, Michael of Charlotte, N.C., and Frank Jay of Torrance, Calif.; a daughter, Barbara Forsythe of San Pedro, Calif.; a brother, Hugh J. Devine of Plainsboro, N.J.; and a sister, Joan Walter of Sandusky, Ohio.


Tributes to Pat from Fellow Volunteers

From PAU3A!, Peace Corps Macedonia Volunteer and Staff Quarterly Magazine

Patricia-Scataloni-Tributes

Leave a Reply

2 Responses to Patricia Scatoloni

  1. James Turnage July 19, 2020 at 1:59 am #

    I Love u Momma! Thanks for taking great care of me after i got hit by that car when i was 5 year’s old I Love U Always. U will always be #1 in My Heart. The Most Sweetest woman in the World. On My Life she was. 😥 I didn’t know u passed away or was sick because i would’ve been by ur side like u was by mine every day when i was at Orthropedical hospital in Los Angeles. Sincerely Ur Son James Lamonzo Turnage❤

  2. Joan Bertossi Wolford February 17, 2014 at 3:00 pm #

    I’m just shocked to find that Pat has died. I last heard from her just before she left for her Peace Corps training and she had promised to stay in touch. Now I know why. Guess her kids didn’t know how to notify me.

    God bless Pat for being such a good person. I enjoyed her very much.

    Joan Bertossi Wolford

site by: iKnow