Patricia Morrissey
June 25, 1938-Nov. 5, 2025
Palo Alto, California

Patricia (Pat) Morrissey, age 87, died on Wednesday, November 5, 2025. She is survived by her brother, Dan Morrissey, and his wife, Kathryn, of Omaha, NE; her nephew, Joe Morrissey, of Minneapolis; MN, and her niece, Dr. Colleen Morrissey, her husband, Dr. Sean Kamperman, and their daughter, Nora, of Lawrence, KS.

Pat dedicated her life to education. She earned her BA and teaching credential at Wayne State University in NE, her MA at San Francisco State University, and her doctorate at the University of San Francisco. She taught students at all levels, from kindergarten through college. Her general education teaching experience led to an interest in special education. She became one of the early special education teachers in PAUSD at a time when learning differences were just beginning to be recognized and addressed. From 1970-1982, she served as the Director of Special Education for a 3-district consortium (Menlo Park, Portola Valley, and Las Lomitas). But Pat wanted to do more. In 1982, she and her colleague, Carolyn Compton, founded a non-profit agency, Morrissey Compton Educational Center, now known as Morrissey Compton. They wanted to help identify students with learning differences, to clarify the students’ needs, and to give effective, pragmatic support to serve those students with unique needs. They worked to broaden educational services for kids-at-risk (e.g., foster kids). Pat’s and Carolyn’s influence extended far beyond kids in the classroom. Through their leadership and mentorship, they helped countless educators and families better understand learning differences so struggling students could more successfully move ahead to achieve their goals in school and in life. In 2007, Avenidas honored them with Lifetime Achievement Awards for their service to the community. In her retirement, Pat pursued many other interests: writing, travel, learning Italian, and volunteering as a driver for Avenidas. She will be remembered as a visionary, a leader, an understanding, compassionate individual who enjoyed playful competition, good stories, and laughter.

Tags: teacher/educator