Hyde Park - Patricia A. Kirtland, 75, a lifelong area resident, died on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie. Known as "Patty" to family and friends, she was born on October 22, 1946, in Poughkeepsie, the only child of Charles J. and Gloria Cronk Hedinger. She graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in 1964, earned her B.A. from SUNY Albany in 1968, and Master's degree in English Education from SUNY New Paltz in 1978. Mrs. Kirtland was a schoolteacher in the City of Poughkeepsie, and taught at both the Poughkeepsie Middle School and High School; in later years, she worked as an English and SAT Prep tutor through Finish Line Tutoring Services in Hyde Park, NY. On June 28, 1969, in Poughkeepsie, she married her high school sweetheart - and lifelong love - Dr. William D. Kirtland, DDS. Her husband survives at home. From 1986 to 2020, Patty was the office manager for her husband's dental practice in Hyde Park, NY. Her personal motto was "Bloom where you're planted", and she brought her trademark wit, grace and compassion to the role - never missing an opportunity to make genuine connections. She is warmly remembered by many patients over the years, and even brought her educator's insight to the job - running a lending library out of the waiting room. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her three children: William D. Kirtland Jr. and wife, Elizabeth Liu, of Irvington, NY; Joseph C. Kirtland and partner Danielle Whitten, of Poughkeepsie, NY; and Georgia C. Kirtland of Hyde Park, NY. She was a beloved "Nana" to six grandchildren, who were her pride and constant joy: Quince, Cash, Adriana, Benjamin, Cody, and Ella. Her kindness, humor (especially during life's tough times), and "way of being" will always be treasured by her family and friends. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM, Saturday, March 19th at Regina Coeli Church, Rte.9, Hyde Park. In keeping with her wishes, cremation will follow and her ashes will be buried in St. Peter's Cemetery, Poughkeepsie. In lieu of flowers, Patricia's family respectfully requests memorial donations to Meals on Wheels of Greater Hyde Park, C/O HPUMC, 1 Church Street, Hyde Park, NY 12538 (www.mealsonwheelsofhp.org); St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Pl., Memphis, TN 38105 (www.stjude.org); Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306 (t2t.org); or the Kirtland Cancer Foundation, PO Box 108, Franklin, PA 16323. (www.kirtlandcancerfoundation.org) Arrangements are under the direction of Sweet's Funeral Home, Inc., Rte. 9, Hyde Park. To send an online condolence, or for directions, please visit Patricia's obituary page at www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.