Pat Mason-Doyle passed away peacefully in Wilmington, DE on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (ironically, on the love of her life, Jack’s birthday) at the age of 85. She was a vivacious and indomitable force until her final days; and a social butterfly who lit up a room, made a lasting impression, and whom everyone thought was much younger than her age (she greatly appreciated that and admittedly worked hard at it).

Born Patricia Susan Naylor on August 18, 1941, to Claude William “Bill” Naylor and Ruth (Coslett) Naylor; she and her younger sister Claudia (Naylor) Jester lived in Wilmington until their teens when the family moved to Long Island, NY. She attended Garden City High School where she was a medaled twirler (eventually becoming Captain) in the Marching Band. It was there she met her first husband and father to her sons, Frederick O. Pedersen, the Drum Major of the band. Post graduation, she went to secretarial school and earned her Associates Degree before marrying her high school sweetheart.

In 1977 she returned to DE, this time residing in Newark, and began working at Patterson-Schwartz Realty in Branmar Plaza where she was an Administrative Assistant for decades until her retirement. She earned her real estate license but opted to stay in her position rather than being a realtor. She also worked part-time at Strawbridge & Clothier when it first opened at the then new Christiana Mall, and it is there she met her third husband of almost 41 years, Jack Doyle.

Pat and Jack married in 1983 and moved to 100 Median Drive in North Wilmington where they lived until a few months after Jack’s passing in August of 2024. They became good friends and extended family to next-door neighbors, Ken & Kathy Fretz, their three daughters, and eventual seven grandchildren. Pat and Jack became well-known regulars at Harry’s Savoy Grill, Good Ease, Charcoal Pit (she loooved chocolate milk shakes), and Marini’s Produce. They enjoyed annual trips to Cape May for many years and made mant friends there. After retirement, she volunteered at Nemours Hospital for Children, and returned part-time to Patterson-Shwartz.

A fierce competitor, she bowled in many leagues throughout her adult life in both NY and DE and was known affectionately as “the lefty.” She was also a frequent winner in Bridge, Gin-Rummy, and more card games. Other hobbies included ceramics, word puzzles, gardening, baking cookies and monkey bread with her grandchildren, and amassing a huge collection of stuffed, jointed, and porcelain bears. She was an avid reader of books: biographies and mystery/thrillers where a girl was on a train, in a cabin, gone, or such. The Bee Gees were her go to with music and she could sing a-long to all their songs; Elton John, Michael Buble, and Celine Dion were also favorites. Her biggest love was for Barbra Streisand. Her sons treated Pat to several live concerts with VIP seats (including Babs return to Madison Square Garden), which simply sent her over the moon! Pat also was “mother” to many dogs: Scruffy, Shep, Shep II, Oakie, Ashley, Jazz, Prince, Lucky, and Jingles.

Shortly after Jack’s passing, she moved into an independent cottage in Foulk Living (as she explained to her sons- and it was true- “I have no need for assistance!”); where for the last year and a half of her life she experienced (as her much loved PA of seventeen years, Sandy Ferguson, so brilliantly described it) a “renaissance.” She met a lot of new friends including cherished companion Gary Griesemer, who led her on what is best described as a “culinary adventure.” She would excitedly detail to her sons all the four and five-star restaurants she was experiencing for the first time, and expanding her pallet, trying and liking calamari, oysters, and caviar to name a few of her new delicacies. The staff of First Watch on Concord Pike essentially “rolled out the red carpet” for her and Gary as witnessed by her sons at brunch for her 85th birthday. As Scott put it, “it was like Dolly Levi descending the stairs of the NYC grand restaurant in “Hello Dolly.” At Foulk, she also joined the Wii Bowling league, played Gin-Rummy almost nightly (and usually won much to the chagrin of others), played Bingo, joined Power Ball groups, attended events, drove frequently to Talbot’s (shopping was also a hobby), and diligently maintained her beautiful new home. Suffice to say, she went out with an amazingly wonderful life!

Ultimately though, it was her sons that were her world. Pat would always boast that her greatest accomplishment was being the proud mother to sons Scott Frederick (Pedersen) Mason, M-Ed, a 30-year Student Life administrator at UD and actor, director, and playwright; and Todd Erik (Pedersen) Mason, Esq, the Managing Partner and corporate lawyer at the Thompson Hine Law Firm-Manhattan Branch, and her trusted financial advisor, de facto counsel, and who was at her side until the very end. Being Grandma to “her sunshines” grandsons Scott and Erik, was her next great joy. Her most cherished memories came from attending son Scott’s shows and spending holidays with Todd and his family. She could always be heard saying triumphantly “that’s MY son.”

She is survived by sons Scott and Todd; Todd’s wife/daughter-in-law Dawn (Federico) Perri; grandsons Scott Federico and Erik Mason; nephew Ken Jester and his family: great nieces Erica and Maddie Jester, and great-great niece Emmy Jester/Todd (Erica’s daughter); nephew Leland Jester; neighbor Fretz’s family; her devoted best friends for over half-a-century, Barbara and Barry Fayne; many more friends and colleagues; and Jingles.

Pat will be cremated, and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the DE Breast Cancer Coalition: https://give.debreastcancer.org/# or the DE Dance Company: https://www.delawaredancecompany.org/support-ddc

Her family will be holding a Celebration of Life for Pat in January in North Wilmington after the busy and emotionally challenging first holidays without her. There are a myriad of friends and colleagues who knew her and if you would like to attend her celebration, please e-mail f_ervescent@yahoo.com to be informed of the specific January date, time, and location (likely Harry’s Savoy Grill). She will be greatly missed, but always remembered.