Betty “Christina” Patlen

Betty “Christina” Patlen of Wayne peacefully passed away on February 19, 2022 at the age of 92.  She was born in the loving home of George and Katie Kalitsnik of Clifton.  She and her five siblings moved with their parents to Passaic, NJ, where Christina resided until she met her beloved husband, Raymond J. Patlen, who at the time, was serving in the U.S. Naval forces in World War II.

Christina and Raymond married in April, 1949, and moved thereafter to Wayne in 1953 at the time when Wayne was considered farm country and started their family of four, Deborah, Raymond, Trish and Lisa.  While raising their children, Christina became a trained photo colorist and worked for the White Photography Studio in Passaic.  Before color photography was invented, only black and white photographs existed.  Through her talent and artistry, Christina brought life to portraits by her skill in oil painting.  Her specialized skills in portraiture became so popular, she was requested by friends and neighbors to colorize their family photographs.  Later, when her children were older, she changed her career path to becoming a licensed esthetician and became successful in her own skin care business.  Years later, Christina obtained her license and worked as a Realtor for the Weichert offices in Wayne for several years until fully retiring.   After her retirement from business, she turned her attention to volunteering at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Wayne, where she became affectionately known for telling her three favorite jokes to the delight of the patients and staff.

After the sudden, devastating loss of her beloved husband, Raymond, in 1999, Christina later found love again with Thomas R. O’Connell.  Both retired, they shared many adventures together, including extensive travel and family cruises.  Tom was the president of the Pines Lake Seniors and together they enjoyed the wonderful friendships they made in their community. Our love for Tom extended to his family and we were fortunate to share celebrations together. After Tom’s passing, Christina moved from Pines Lake to Siena Village where she developed strong bonds and dear friendships which she greatly treasured.   She will forever be remembered as sweet, kind, loving and compassionate person who had a great sense of humor.

Christina was the loving wife of Raymond J. Patlen (d. 1999), the loving companion of Thomas R. O’Connell (d. 2016).  She was the devoted mother of Deborah (husband Jim Pellegrini) of Wayne; Raymond G. (late wife Pat) of Phoenix, AZ; Trish (husband Albert Alfano) of Totowa and Lisa (husband Rick Apgar) of Milford, PA.  Christina was also the cherished grandmother of Michael Pellegrini; Danielle and Stephen Alfano;  Alicia Patlen Collins (husband Andrew) of Phoenix; AZ; and the dearly loved great-grandmother of Alina and Adeline Collins.  Christina also enjoyed a familial relationship with Raymond’s stepdaughter Allison Ervin and husband Jerry and their children Hanna, Elijah and Noah Ervin; of Phoenix, AZ.   Christina was predeceased by her dearest sister Helen; brothers, George and Charlie; sisters Ann and Mary.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or The Smile Train would be greatly appreciated.