In Memoriam
Patricia S. Gourlay, 97
March 25, 1924 – August 19, 2021
ONEONTA – Patricia S. Gourlay, 97, died peacefully at home on August 19, 2021. She was Professor of English at SUNY Oneonta 1963-2003. Born in 1924 in Lakewood OH, daughter of Alice and Walter P. Southard, she earned a BA from Wellesley, MA from Stanford, and PhD from Columbia, specializing in Shakespeare, mythology, and classical culture. In addition to SUNY Oneonta, she taught at Temple University, Dutchess Community College, and, following her retirement, at Oneonta’s Center for Continuing Adult Learning where she had a devoted following well into her nineties.
Her classes with her CCAL students brought her great joy.
She married Keith A. Gourlay, an attorney,1947; he died 2005. She is survived by their four children— Ann Gabler of Red Hook, New York, Alexander Gourlay of Providence, Rhode Island, John Gourlay of Oneonta, Eliza Adams of Bisbee, Arizona, as well as four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She was a devoted mother, and a smart, strong, and kind friend and mentor.
Please make donations in her memory to HeliosCare.org or local non-profits of your choice.
I was one of many who were enriched by Pat’s Shakespeare courses. She was an extraordinary teacher with a gentle, engaging style that encouraged students to think, disagree, and express their interpretations of the Bard’s stories. I was lucky to enjoy her friendship as well as many of her CCAL classes. She was warm, candid, and full of humor to the end of her remarkable life.