Patricia M. (Mcniff) Hopkins

WORCESTER – Patricia M. (McNiff) Hopkins, age 91, passed away peacefully at St. Vincent Hospital on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Born in Lowell, Patricia was the daughter of the late Patrick and Margaret (Riley) McNiff.

Born and raised in Lowell, Patricia lived many years in Dracut before moving with the family to Holden in 1962. Patricia worked many years as a realtor for Love and O’Connell Realty agencies as well as for herself. In her spare time, she loved playing bridge and enjoyed traveling in her retirement. As fate would have it, on a trip to Ireland with her daughter, Patrice, and granddaughter, Jill, she met a gentleman from Florida on a bus tour in Shannon, Ireland. The two spent the remainder of the trip together and James ‘Jim’ Hopkins became the love of her life. She moved to Florida, married, and spent a happy and fulfilling 11 years with Jim before he, sadly, passed away. Patricia returned to Massachusetts in 2011 to be closer to her family, and resided at the Willows in Worcester, where she continued her bridge play and made new friends.

She is survived by her son, Richard D. Fox of Rutland; her daughter, Patrice M. Nowak and her husband, Garry of Rutland; her first daughter, Cheryl Fox, of Northampton, and the youngest daughter, Lee Baragona, of Huntsville, AL. She has two grandchildren, Jill Nowak and Jamie Audet; and a stepdaughter, Peggy Hopkins. She is predeceased by her two sisters, Eileen Wilson and Mary McKniff, as well as her first husband, Roswell Fox and her second husband, James E. Hopkins.

Burial will take place at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery where she will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Jim. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Funeral arrangements are under the care Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden.

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