Patricia D. Philbin-Lawrence, 53, died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Patty was a graduate of Clinton High School, class of 1989, and Providence College, class of 1993. Patty spent a lifetime of summers on the Island, and made the move permanently just a few years after college. She spent many years working for the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority and in the restaurant business on the Island, and most recently for the Oak Bluffs School, where she could be close to her daughter Lila and enjoy the summer beauty of the Island that she loved so much.
Patty was always prepared with an appetizer, a glass of wine, and an attentive ear; she shared her time and talents, and lived her life dedicated to her family, friends, and community. Among her many passions, she loved to read, play a friendly game of cards or dominos, but mostly was a devoted mother to Lila, enjoying their many special moments together, embracing every learning opportunity, and their recent family trip to Disney World. Above all, she was a loving mother, stepmother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.
She is survived by her beloved husband David Lawrence, stepson Jacob Lawrence, and daughter Lila Grace Lawrence, all of Oak Bluffs; mother Diane Philbin and brothers Michael and Owen Philbin, all of Clinton; sisters Karen Philbin of Lunenburg, and Kathy Chisholm of Newtown, Pa.; nephews Timothy, Jonathan, and Chase; sisters- and brothers-in-law Susan Philbin, Jim Chisholm, Robert Lawrence, and Sherylanne Lawrence; extended family, and many dear friends both in Clinton and on the Vineyard. She was predeceased by her father, Phillip J. Philbin.
A funeral Mass was celebrated on June 30, at St. Augustine’s Church in Vineyard Haven.
A celebration of Patty’s life will be planned in Clinton later this year. Online condolences may be entered at chapmanfuneral.com.
