Patricia Hubbell Hornstein, 94, of Easton, CT passed away on July 29, 2022 at the home of her daughter, Deborah Hereld, in Cheshire, CT. Born in Bridgeport, CT on July 10, 1928, Patricia was a lifelong Easton resident.
Patricia was an award-winning poet and children’s book author, writing under her maiden name, Patricia Hubbell. Her mother and grandmother read poems to her as a little girl, inspiring her love of poetry writing by the third grade. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she studied English and Agriculture, Patricia published dozens of books throughout her five-decade career, including The Apple Vendor’s Fair, A Grass Green Gallop, Wrapping Paper Romp, and Black All Around. Patricia was a finalist and winner of numerous awards, including Nick Jr. Best Books of the Year, Bank Street College Best Books of the Year, Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year, American Bookseller’s Association Kids’ Pick of the Lists, and the Sequoyah Oklahoma Children’s Book Award. Her poems appear in more than 200 anthologies worldwide.
She also wrote for the Newtown Bee, the Westport Town Crier, and the Bridgeport Sunday Post, and contributed freelance gardening columns for publications including The New York Times.
Patricia was an accomplished horsewoman, a prolific and talented artist who worked in a variety of media, and a skilled gardener. As she put it, “I think gardening and art are very much like writing poems…in each, you are always trying to make something beautiful, and each of them takes thought and care.”
Patricia was predeceased by her husband Harold Hornstein, parents Franklin Homer Hubbell and Helen Eugenie Osborn Hubbell, sister Jean Hallock and brother Donald Hallock. She is survived by her son Jeffrey Hornstein of Manhattan, New York, daughter Deborah Alexander Hereld of Cheshire, CT, grandchildren Megan Patricia Hammond (Paul) of San Francisco, CA, Shoshana Hereld (Calypso) of Oaxaca, Mexico, and Shira Hereld of Denver, CO, as well as great-grandchildren Tom, James and Alex Hammond, and several nieces and nephews. Pat is also survived by her loving and devoted caregiver Faigie Wright of New Haven, CT.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Pat will be remembered for her warm, gentle, quiet, gracious manner, and for her love of all animals, nature, and her family. Pat taught us the beauty of living simply, and the value of noticing that which so often goes unnoticed. We are forever enriched.
A celebration of Pat’s life is to be announced. Donations in her memory may be made to The Historical Society of Easton, P.O. Box 121, Easton, CT 06612. To share a story or leave a condolence, please visit our website at www.fordfh.com.
