Patty Finn
DERBY — Patty Finn had a knack for making people feel special.
That’s according to many of the current and former Derby City Hall employees and officials who are mourning the sudden loss of their dear friend and colleague.
Finn, 60, passed away unexpectedly Sunday at her Ansonia home. The Spinelli-Riccuiti/Bednar-Osiecki Funeral Home in Ansonia is handling Finn’s arrangements. Tragically, Finn’s death comes exactly one week after her sister, Katherine Finn, passed away at Connecticut Hospice in Branford Dec. 20.
She worked for the past 25 years in City Hall, as the deputy director of the City of Derby’s Office of Economic & Community Development.
Mayor Richard Dziekan got to know Finn three years ago, when he was first elected.
“I’m still in shock that she passed,” Dziekan said. “What can I say about Patty? She was a go-to person. Whatever you put on her desk she took care of. Previous administration gave her the parking garage, and in true Patty form she dealt with it and ran it. Give her a task and she figured it out. Patty told you how it was, no matter how it came out of her mouth. She never held anything back. She was a great person we are going to miss her. Derby lost a great asset. She had a heart of gold.”
Dziekan surprised Finn with roses on a job anniversary in 2018. Finn responded by saying how much she loved her job. Click here to watch the short video.
Under Mayor Tony Staffieri, Finn worked under Sheila O’Malley, then Derby’s economic development director and grant writer (O’Malley now does those jobs for the City of Ansonia).
Finn was the driving force behind securing numerous grants for Derby, including a $1 million state small cities block grant last year to make much-needed improvements to Cicia Manor.
“Patty was amazingly bright and a very caring individual,” O’Malley said. “The first day I arrived in Derby she looked up and gave me a round of applause, and that was a first for me. She had remembered my work in a Congressman’s office and she said ‘You’re coming to help us!’ She worked for me for seven years and I learned a lot of life lessons from her. We learned from each other I would say. She will be missed.”
Current Town/City Clerk and former Mayor Marc Garofalo said Finn’s smile, quick wit, and her love of Broadway musicals brightened the halls of City Hall for more than two decades.
“We are all in shock and terribly saddened by Patty’s sudden passing,” Garofalo said. “Patty was fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She cherished them dearly. She had a great sense of humor and could always be counted on to share a laugh and her wit. Patty loved Broadway musicals and was currently enjoying the ‘Hamilton’ soundtrack while working tirelessly at City Hall. She will be missed and will be remembered by all who had the pleasure to know her. May she rest in peace.”
Derby’s Chief of Staff Andrew Baklik echoed similar sentiments.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family who has endured an especially difficult holiday season with the loss of both Patty her sister Kathy,” Baklik said. “Patty was a true friend to all who had the pleasure of knowing her. Working with her and getting to know her over the past three years has been great for me personally. She had a ton of knowledge about the city and was a dutiful employee for over 24 years. Perhaps most importantly, Patty brought a sense of humor and joy to our daily lives in City Hall. She is irreplaceable for so many reasons, but I will most fondly remember all the laughs we had. She will be dearly missed.”
Finn is survived by her sister, Maureen Wilkinson (Allan), niece, Bridget Wilkinson (Josh Lane), of Ansonia as well as numerous friends, especially, lifetime best friend, Lynne Hines Iverson of Ansonia, according to her obituary. She was predeceased by her brother, Philip “PJ” Finn and her sister, Katherine E. Finn, who passed away on Dec. 20.
Expressions of sympathy may be sent to:
The Family of Patricia Finn; Derby City Hall; 1 Elizabeth Street; Derby, CT 06418.
