Patricia Jean Peterson Strazza died peacefully on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, in her home on a warm and sundrenched fall day, surrounded by family, her dear caregivers, and the art and beauty she loved.
Born in Logan, Utah, January 30, 1933, “PJ,” as she was known, had western roots and grew up surrounded by pioneer spirit, often taking road trips with her adventurous parents to national parks and other points of interest. In 1948, the family moved to Washington, DC, her father taking a job in the US Department of Interior and her mother starting her career at Sidwell Friends School. PJ blossomed during her time attending Sidwell Friends where she excelled in academics, played the piano and organ, even performing at the National Cathedral. After graduation she went north to Cornell University where she embraced college life and made numerous lifelong friends. Big Red held a special place in her heart thereafter. She also found there the love of her life, Richard Strazza, the lucky third wheel she met while dating Dick’s roommate. They married in 1955, the year she graduated from what is now Cornell’s College of Human Ecology.
Once married, she followed her mother’s footsteps into teaching, but soon found her hands more than full, with three children. She and Dick moved to Princeton in the mid ’60s where they raised their children (with a parenting style she jokingly called “benign neglect”) as well as a gaggle of Newfoundlands. PJ was a lover of dogs, people, and good times. No college football or hockey season went by without a raucous Cornell/Princeton party at the house; it remains surprising that a porch full of attendees collapsed only once. At various gatherings, holidays, and the annual Strazza Christmas Eve Open House, she could usually be found at the bench behind the piano singing hymns and Cornell songs, family and friends crowded around her, delighting in the glow of her warmth and merriment. She always welcomed her children’s many friends who hold their own fond remembrances of her from those times at the piano and of the smile she seemed to always wear.
During her time in Princeton, she volunteered for many causes including the Princeton Hospital Fete, Recording for the Blind, and local politics. Her passion for art led to her and Dick’s involvement in the local art scene, culminating in their purchase of Gallery 100 on Nassau Street in Princeton. They loved befriending and supporting local artists and that the gallery became a gathering spot for many.
It was her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren that brought her the greatest joy. She reveled in their accomplishments, attending countless sporting events, school ceremonies, birthday parties, marching band competitions, and band concerts, always looking for a chance to celebrate them. She cherished the times she and Dick spent at their vacation home in Treasure Cay, Bahamas, where she escaped winter to soak in the sun sparkling off the turquoise blue water, loving the Abacos for their warm Bahamian people and island lifestyle. She shared their paradise with dear friends from Cornell and elsewhere. The door was always open there. And her heart was always open everywhere.
“We had so much fun” was the refrain as she contemplated her life these past years. Indeed, she did.
She was predeceased by her younger sister, Mary Lou of Portland, Oregon, and her husband, Dick Strazza. She is survived by her three children, Sophia Tomasi (Ted), Craig Strazza (Ann), and Karen Strazza (Jeff Heath); her sister, Sue Peterson Huguely (Geoff); as well as eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren (with another on the way!). They, and her many nieces and nephews, in-laws, step grandchildren, friends, and all she touched in her unique way, will miss her terribly. But they also know that she is celebrating with her beloved “Pop Pop” and the family and friends that have gone before her.
She always shouted out to those leaving after a visit “Don’t change!” Same to you, PJ; know that the deeply fond memories of all those you have known will never change.
Arrangements and cremation services were private under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ 08822. For further information or to send an online condolence, please visit PJ’s memorial page and guestbook below at holcombefisher.com.