Invite friends and family to read the obituary and add memories.
We'll notify you when service details or new memories are added.
You're now following this obituary
We'll email you when there are updates.
Select your format and elements to print
Patricia B.
Mcleod
d. Jun 23, 2025
Patricia Beatrice McLeod, known to friends and family as "Pat", died on June 23, 2025 at Brooksby Continuing Care in Peabody, Massachusetts at the age of one hundred and one.
Born Patricia Beatrice Calnek on September 30, 1923 in Beverly, MA, Pat was the second child of Beatrice Eugenie Calnek née Troop and Hermann Wolff Calnek of Manchester, MA. Her brother was Louis Hermann Calnek of Manchester, married to Mary Elizabeth Calnek "May" née Edgecomb.
Pat graduated with honors from Story High School in Manchester, MA in 1941, and received her Associate degree from Acadia University (Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada) in 1943. She then completed a three year course at Children's Hospital (Boston) School of Nursing (1946) and was Head Nurse on CH Ward 10 for a few years, as part of The United States (U.S.) Cadet Nurse Corps (CNC), a uniformed nonmilitary program to train nurses during the WW II era.
In 1947, Pat met Willard Wise "Bill" McLeod Jr., a member of the Mt. Vernon Church (Boston) Young Peoples Group, during a visit the group made to her parents' house. Pat and Bill fell in love soon after and were married on May 29, 1949 at the Orthodox Congregational Church in Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA.
Pat and Bill moved to Lexington where they would remain happily married for 33 years, raising four children to adulthood, until Bill's untimely death (due to a fall) on June 20, 1982.
Pat embraced her roles as housewife and mother, but also additional responsibilities related to Bill's blindness; an inherited a form of macular dystrophy known as Stargardt Disease. Even as Bill (a Harvard graduate) enjoyed a successful career at Raytheon—rising to chief engineer of the missile systems division—Pat frequently helped guide him at home and was the family's sole driver for many years.
Pat and Bill were active members of Lexington's Hancock Congregational Church; participating in choir, offering collection, and many other programs. Even after Bill's passing, Pat remained a member at Hancock, her time there totalling over 70 years.
Together, the couple enjoyed evening walks, Pat's piano playing, local musical performances, and frequent gatherings with friends and family. Pat enjoyed sewing and knitting. Their pleasures were simple but enduring.
Once all four children were grown, on their own, and gainfully employed, Pat and Bill enjoyed a week to reflect on a job well done before Bill was gone.
In the 42 years that followed, Pat never remarried.
Pat lived alone in Lexington for nearly two decades; trading the old family home at Dexter Road for a smaller one on Hastings Road; but remained active in her church and community.
During those years, she enjoyed Friday visits to Boston's Symphony Hall as one of the symphony's patrons. She also volunteered for the Children's Hospital Nursing School Alumni organization, and for American Medical Resources Foundation (AMRF) which sent used medical equipment to overseas hospitals.
In 2001, Pat moved to Brooksby Village Senior Living Community in Peabody, Massachusetts where she lived independently and in good health for nearly two decades before a brief period of decline and a move to Brooksby's Continuing Care facilities near the end of her life.
At Brooksby, Pat was a participant in many activities including Piano Pals, trips, exercise opportunities, and the Protestant Church community. She led a quiet but deeply satisfying life.
Each of Pat and Bill's four children—John, Ruth, Donald, and Scott—found lasting love and families of their own, leading to ten grandchildren and three great grandchildren in her time.
She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed.
* * *
Patricia Beatrice McLeod is survived by her children and their families:
John Wise McLeod of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, his wife Margaret Virginia McLeod née Bezanson "Peggy" (predeceased) and their children Alice Mary McLeod of Montreal, Canada, and husband David John McLeod née Wood, and granddaughter Catriona Peggy McLeod; Eric James McLeod of Timberlea, Nova Scotia, Canada and wife Deborah MacKenzie "Debbie"; and Ian Robert McLeod of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Ruth McLeod Dunnavan of Moultonborough, NH, her husband George Milton Dunnavan III and their children LCDR Beatrice Dunnavan, USN, Seaside, CA; and Dr. Edwin Lee Dunnavan III of Norman, OK, his wife Jenna Violet Dunnavan née Howe, and grandson Kai MacLeod Dunnavan.
Donald Calnek McLeod, his wife Barbara Norman McLeod née Norman and children Kristen Elizabeth Coffman née McLeod and husband Richard D. Coffman "Chip", and their child Reese McLeod Coffman; Ryan Calnek McLeod and wife Jem McLeod née McMahon; and Brett Allen McLeod.
Scott Willard McLeod (aka Scott McCloud) and wife Ivy Ratafia McLeod née Ratafia (predeceased) and children Sky Rosamund McLeod and Winter Wise McLeod, all of Portland, OR.
A private ceremony of Pat's life will be held at the Westview Cemetery in Lexington, MA.
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors