Patricia Elder Bonacarti

Bonacarti, Patricia Elder, age 95, died peacefully at her home in Pine Orchard, Branford, Connecticut on January 15, 2023, surrounded by her children. The eldest of seven, Pat was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on August 10, 1927 to James Elder and Ann Hauch Elder. Her brothers James, George, Robert and Donald predeceased her. Brother Jon David survives her. She is predeceased by her husband Alexander F. Bonacarti, Jr. MD (Buddy) and son Christopher James. She is survived by children Emily Nolfo of Guilford, CT, Alexander Bonacarti, III of Palisades Park, NJ, Lisa Callaway of Lewes, Delaware, Ellen Bonacarti of Clarksburg, NJ, Alexandra Bonacarti of Brooklyn, NY and Christopher Patrick Bonacarti of Lawton, Oklahoma; grandchildren Lauren, Adam, Mariella and Charlotte; and great-grandchildren Lane, Daisy and Lillian. The first in her family to attend college, Pat graduated from Chestnut Hill College in 1949. Pat and Buddy married in 1951, spent four years in the Air Force and then settled in Englewood, NJ when Buddy joined the medical staff at Englewood Hospital. Pat earned a degree in interior design from the New York School of Interior Design and practiced for twenty years. She was founding president of the Medical Staff Wives Association of Englewood Hospital, serving from 1980 to 1982. MSWA brought wives of doctors into a friendly atmosphere and raised money for medical scholarships. Pat was president of the Bergen County Medical Society Women’s Auxiliary from 1983-1984. Pat’s earliest memory is of trying to make a cookie from flour and water. Cooking remained her passion for the rest of her life. Her mother gave her her first cookbook at the age of 10; her collection grew into a research library of 4000 volumes plus thousands of recipes she clipped from papers and magazines. Pat’s dinner parties were legendary. She took classes with Martha Stewart and wrote a cooking column for the Suburbanite newspaper. She taught many cooking classes over the years, passing on her passion to others. Her annual Christmas card recipes were treasured by family and friends. As an eighth grader at Horace Mann elementary school, Pat won first prize for her essay “Why I’m proud to an American” and read it at graduation. She passed her love of language and writing on to her children. They will forever miss her loving and wise counsel. An avid Bee Gees fan, she also loved Pink Floyd and Michael Crawford. Pat adored her dogs and granddogs and is survived by her beloved whippet, Monopoly. Visitation on January 23, 2023 from 10AM-11:45AM at Barrett Leber Funeral Home, 148 Dean Drive, Tenafly. Funeral Mass to follow at 12PM at St. Cecilia’s Church, 55 W Demarest Ave, Englewood. Interment after at Madonna Cemetery, 2070 Hoefley’s Lane, Fort Lee. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Whippet Rescue and Placement (www.whippet-rescue.org) or the American Diabetes Foundation (www.diabetes.org).