Obituary of Patricia A. Boorum
Patricia A. (Coniker) Boorum
February 16, 1951 – December 27, 2024
Patricia Boorum, 73, of Ontario, New York, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2024 surrounded by her family following a brief illness.
She was predeceased by her mother Linda (Ciaccio) Coniker, brothers Thomas “Che-Che” Coniker and Wilson “Billy” Coniker, and in-laws Harold and Lottie Boorum. She is survived by her loving husband of 53 years Stephen D. Boorum, daughter Carrie Boorum and grandson Jeremy S. Boorum, son Steven H. Boorum, daughter Michele M. Johnson and grandson Ian W. Johnson, sister Peggy (Dale) Jones and special niece and goddaughter Jennifer Delalla, and many sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. She is also survived by her beloved Shih Tzu Harvey Boorum.
Her husband would like to thank Carrie and Jeremy Boorum, Peggy Jones, sister-in-laws Sandra Henderson and Cindea Cipollone, and special friends Wayne and Delilah McCarty, Lexi Broadbent, Loretta Torpey, and Amy (Evanko) Brown, as well as the staff at Rochester General Hospital and the Lipson Cancer Institute at Linden Oaks, for helping him and his wife through the end of her journey.
Patricia and her husband Stephen met in the 5th grade, where he was instantly awestruck by her. They lost touch until Patricia’s 16th birthday when her mother invited him to her party. There, he fell in love with her at first sight. Shortly after, they were engaged at age 17 and married at age 20. Over all these decades, Patricia and Stephen shared an epic love story. She was his heart, his life, his one and only thought.
While raising three children with her husband, Patricia returned to school, earning degrees at Monroe Community College, SUNY Brockport, and the University at Buffalo, where she graduated with honors from an accelerated Master of Social Work program. She had an impressive professional career of 21 years working with families and children as a clinical social worker with Hillside Children’s Center and later the State of New York. From taking in foster care youth to making home visits, Patricia undoubtedly impacted the lives of countless children and families throughout Rochester and the Finger Lakes region.
She was a great friend to all that met her and had a wonderful laugh, smile, and personality. Her bright light has been taken from this world, but her husband finds comfort in the following quote from the novella A River Runs Through It: “the river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are [hers]. I am haunted by [my loss].”
A celebration of life will be held at a later date for family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Heritage Christian Services or The Arc of Monroe.