Patricia A. Breuninger was born in Bluefield, West Virginia on February 16, 1930 to Maurice and Verna Francis. She was the middle sister to Betty (Miller) and Laura Bell (Campbell). Her childhood was spent in the south, where her father supported the family as a Boilermaker for the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Pat maintained the grace, generosity and charm of her southern upbringing throughout her life. Indeed, when she drove south over the Driscoll Bridge that southern drawl became just a bit more pronounced.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Mastapeter Funeral Home, 400 Faitoute Ave., Roselle Park, NJ. A celebration of her life will be held Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 11 a.m. at the Mastapeter Funeral Home.

As a graduate of Duke University, Pat began her career as an English teacher in the Roanoke City Public Schools and continued as an educator for 13 years, with a brief stint at a dress shop in Las Vegas where she met her husband Harold F. Breuninger “Fang”, father of her two boys. The marriage brought her to New Jersey which she called home until her passing at the age of 87 on September 1, 2017. She transitioned from homemaker to attorney after graduating from Seton Hall Law School at the age of 42. Always an advocate for the people, Pat found her passion in employment law, defending the rights of the working class while working at Legal Services before transitioning to private practice. A fierce litigator, Pat helped establish legal precedence for fair treatment in the work place, as well as in nursing homes. Named several times as one of New Jersey’s best lawyers, Pat argued before the State Supreme Court, winning a landmark case in 2008 at the age of 78.

Yearning to be close to Manhattan, Pat took up residence in the city of Newark, before the pace, culture and sense of community of Hoboken prompted her to call that city home. However, the peace and beauty of the Jersey Shore was always a draw for her. She began her love affair with the Jersey Shore by taking her boys to Island Beach State Park and, despite her struggles with walking, loaded her children up like sherpa and trekked through the dunes to enjoy the beach. She then purchased property of her own and spent years enjoying life at the beach in Lavallette, until moving to the bayside of Mantoloking Shores.

To know Pat is to know that family was everything to her. She encouraged her children to have a love of the arts, frequently visiting New York City and surrounding herself with artwork that portrayed her diverse interests. An untraditional mother, Pat found joy in the antics of her children, raising them with love and the absent threat of her ever-ready cane. She was an avid enforcer of the use of proper grammar by her family until her final days. She is survived by her sons, Harold (Barbara), Russell (MaryAlice), grandchildren, Kate (Michael), Joshua and great grandchildren, Steele and Lorelei. She was pre-deceased by her sisters, Betty and Laura Bell “Boots.”