Patricia (Harrington) Zlotucha

Patricia (Pat) Zlotucha passed away at The Manor on January 17th, 2025, with family at her side. She was eighty-five. Pat was born in Hornell, New York, and was the first child of Merton and Katherine Harrington. She displayed a love and talent for art early in life. This theme would resonate for decades to come. By 1961, Pat was married and had three children. She raised them with a mixture of love, patience, and expectations. Nightly dinners were a family ritual, and she experimented in the kitchen frequently. Pat introduced her family to foods that were uncommon in northern Vermont in the late 1960s. The siblings recall returning home one afternoon to a dining room full of pasta draped chairs when Pat decided to make her own noodles. They became a family favorite.

Pat earned a BA with distinction and an MS from Johnson State College while still running a family household. Many of Pat’s art projects are on walls of her home and those of her children. They are treasured examples of her unique lens on the world – full of color and texture. Pat’s career passion was the creation of an art program for Peoples Academy during a 22-year tenure . Years of practice at creating order out of chaos for her family made her natural in this occupation. Pat loved her interactions with students, and hoped to help them feel confident in their unique capabilities. She loved nature and hoped that a student would “simply be able to see a tree differently.”

School is where Pat met her future husband, Michael Zlotucha. Undoubtedly, they were meant for each other. Pat’s children were grown, but Z brought his to this new enterprise. A melded family was born and thrives to this day. Pat and Mike also started a second family --a series of beloved Airedale terriers known to anyone driving past their home on Clay Hill in Johnson

Pat lived a full life. She found beauty in the long winters and short summers of northern Vermont where she lived for nearly 60 years. She leaves her husband of 42 years, Michael Zlotucha, children, and step-children Julie Davis (Daniel Malarkey), Robin Rettew (John), Scott Davis (Melinda Leyden), Andrea Kozub (Chris), Ben Zlotucha (Angie), grandchildren, Claire, Margot, Blake, Caleb, Burgess, Emma, Grace, Rose, Asher, Charlie and Emlyn, and great grandchildren Lucy, Peter and Emory, brother Gary Harrington (Joanne) and their children, Gary Jr., Jennifer and Samantha, and ex-husband Gerald (Jerry) Davis.

The family would like to thank Lamoille Home Health and Hospice and The Manor for their attentive care of Pat. They would also like to thank family-friend, Theresa Fortune, who provided invaluable counsel and support over the past few years. 

Per Pat’s request there will be a private, family graveside service in the Spring. The family asks that in lieu of flowers or donations, you perform an act of kindness or appreciation that might brighten someone else’s day—as Pat often did.

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