Karen A Patrick Obituary, Death Cause – After a protracted battle with sickness, Karen A. (Patrick) Sweezy, age 61, of 326 North 5th Street, Olean, New York, who was formerly of Almond, passed away on Friday evening, March 10, 2023, at her home in Olean, New York, surrounded by her family. She was the daughter of her parents, Clifford “Chup” Patrick and Stella (Brundu) Patrick, and she was born in Hornell on January 10, 1962.
Almond was Karen’s hometown, and she attended and graduated from Alfred-Almond Central School (class of 1980). She went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Alfred State College as well as a Master of Arts in Education from Alfred University. Karen was a devoted and excellent athlete who excelled in both softball and soccer while she was in high school and later while she was in college. In 2016, she was recognized by being inducted into the Alfred-Almond Alumni Association Sports Hall of Fame, an award bestowed upon her by the association.
She eventually became a softball coach, during which time she shared her passion for the game as well as her extensive understanding of it with subsequent generations. During the course of the previous few years, Karen has called the cities of Alfred Station, Wellsville, and Olean home. She taught for around ten years at the Genesee Valley Central School, where she was a reading specialist in the Middle School. She was employed as a teacher by the Genesee Valley Central School.
After that, she worked as an employment counselor at Pro-Action in Hornell, where she assisted job seekers in finding employment opportunities. Because of her health, she decided to retire about eight years ago. Both Our Lady of the Valley Parish and St. Ann’s Church counted Karen as a communicant during her time there as a member. She had previously been a member of the Hornell AMVETS, the Carducci Lodge, and the Moose Lodge in Hornell.
When she was a child, she looked forward to spending the summers in the Adirondack Mountains with her family and would always keep an eye out for a friendly bear who went by the name of Trouble. During the years, “crafts” were something that Karen enjoyed doing, and she took great pride in sewing stunning quilts for her family and friends, as well as creating baptismal robes for premature infants and beds for the homeless. She never made anything without first considering how it would be useful to other people. Karen cherished spending time in nature, going on lengthy road trips on her motorcycle with her future husband John Ricci, and spending time as a grandma to Alexandria and Salvatore Sweezy.
