Patricia Ann McDonagh, 71, passed away peacefully on December 16, 2018, with her children by her side at her home in Northampton.

Pat was born in Norman, Oklahoma on May 22, 1947, to Edward and Louise McDonagh, though the family moved to Rancho Palos Verdes, California, within months of her birth. She was a quiet, caring, curious, and adventuresome young woman, passionate about literature, classical music, and the natural world.

Pat graduated as valedictorian from Palos Verdes High School, then studied English at Pomona College. She went on to complete a master's degree in early childhood education at Boston University and taught at an elementary school in Cambridge. During this period, she fell in love with the seasons and landscape of New England, and also with David Sigelman, a gregarious medical student who shared Pat's zeal for the outdoors, appetite for adventure, and love of laughter. Pat and David were married in 1974, and embarked upon an extended year-long "working honeymoon" in Cali, Colombia, where Pat became fluent in Spanish and taught young children at an international school.

Shortly after their return to Boston in 1976, Pat and David welcomed their first child, Katie. Soon thereafter, David joined Holyoke Pediatrics Associates in Western Massachusetts, and the family settled into a 200-year-old farmhouse in Granby. Pat served as program director at the Holyoke Children's Museum, and was an avid baker, weaver, small-scale farmer, and often her own handyman. She also began singing with the Pioneer Valley Capella, a small auditioned chorus that specializes in Renaissance and contemporary music, with which she performed for over 30 years. In 1980, Pat gave birth to her second child, Ben, and in 1984 the family moved to Northampton. Pat was a loving and compassionate mother throughout, delighting in her children and fostering their interests and curiosity.

For decades, Pat served as teacher and then director of the nature-oriented preschool program at the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton. There she created a remarkable environment in which young children could learn, experientially, about the natural world, exploring the outdoors every day, rain or shine. Her curriculum followed seasonal rhythms: watching monarch caterpillars transform into butterflies in autumn, and tapping maple trees to make syrup in early spring. A self-taught expert regarding wild mushrooms of the Northeast, Pat also led mushroom walks, participated in mushroom forays, and found other ways to engage with her community through Arcadia and other local nature preserves and programs.

Pat and David relished outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, biking, and canoeing. Their many adventures took them from the hills of Western Massachusetts to the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, the Swiss Alps, Australia, Norway, and Nepal, among other destinations.

David died unexpectedly in 2004, a profound and difficult loss for Pat and her family. In the years following, Pat gradually found her path through grief, sustaining her longstanding interests while also contributing even more to her community. She became an adept painter of botanical watercolors, took up old-time fiddle playing, and served on the boards of the Broad Brook Coalition and the Northampton Community Music Center. It was also during this period that Pat met Paul Redstone, her partner and companion for the past twelve years. This partnership was a tremendous support and source of strength for Pat, most recently as she came to terms with her illness.

Pat is survived by her partner, Paul; daughter Katie Sigelman, her husband Scott Brown, and their children Zoe and Harry; son Ben Sigelman, his wife Maggie Gosselin, and their children Ida and Mose; and by her sister Eileen McDonagh, her nephews Edward and Robert Price, and their families. In addition to her parents, Pat is predeceased by her husband, David Sigelman.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, for the benefit of the "David Sigelman and Patricia McDonagh Memorial Fund."

Celebrating Pat: A Public Memorial

A public memorial service for Pat took place on April 14, 2019 at Edwards Church in Northampton, MA. The service included remembrances of Pat, as well as musical selections performed by members of the Pioneer Valley Cappella, the choral group that Pat sang with for over 30 years.

The service was recorded and can be watched just below or on youtube:

Pictures of Pat

We've assembled a small album of photos of Pat taken over the course of her life. Here they are: