10/11/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CXQ3ZoNFt/
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗨𝗗𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗟𝗘𝗦
𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘 & 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
𝗜𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘: 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 “𝗣𝗔𝗧” 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢
There are probably hundreds of Jersey City children who never knew the name Pat Sorrentino, but they certainly enjoyed the Christmas memories he helped create for them.
And knowing what I've learned about this old-school Jersey City gentleman, I suspect he was perfectly comfortable with that arrangement.
Jersey City lost another one of its originals last week when 𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 “𝗣𝗔𝗧” 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢 passed away at 81. As The Hudson County Chronicles continues our Italian Heritage & Culture Month honors, Pat deserves a place among those we remember.
There's something about this particular tribute that I want to share.
On September 28, I received a message from 𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗡𝗢 recommending that The Hudson County Chronicles recognize Pat Sorrentino as one of our Holiday Legends.
Tom described Pat as a man with a "hard, tough and rough exterior" who was really a "softy." He went on to tell me about Pat's years organizing the Dante Alighieri Society's Breakfast with Santa, soliciting donations, collecting toys, arranging meals for families, and making certain every child had something to take home.
What caught my attention was something else Tom said. Pat did all of this without fanfare or recognition.
Now, here's what makes that September 28 message especially meaningful.
𝗣𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘.
Tom wasn't asking me to write a memorial. He wanted Pat recognized for what he had been doing for Jersey City children all these years.
Ten days later, on October 8, Pat passed away.
I wish we had gotten that Holiday Legends recognition to him while he was still here. But I also appreciate that Tom thought enough of Pat to reach out and make sure his work didn't go unnoticed.
And now, during Italian Heritage & Culture Month, we're going to give this old Jersey City detective the recognition Tom believed he deserved.
Tom's description of Pat tells you something about those old-school Jersey City personalities. Tough exterior, a few choice words when necessary, But beneath all that toughness was a softy, particularly when children were involved.
For years, Pat faithfully helped organize the 𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗜𝗘𝗥𝗜 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗘𝗧𝗬'𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗨𝗔𝗟 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗙𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗦𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗔, a holiday tradition that brought children and their families together.
He solicited donations, collected toys, helped arrange breakfast, and made certain there were more than enough presents for the children attending.
No big production about himself. No need to be publicly thanked. Pat simply wanted to make sure those kids had a Christmas to remember.
He was also a retired 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 who retired in 1992. He returned to municipal employment in 2005, officially holding the title of clerk until 2020.
But here's where those old Jersey City police personalities come into play.
His son-in-law, 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗬, himself a retired Jersey City Police Detective, had a better description of Pat's later years.
𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗦.
I had to laugh at that one. The city might have called him a clerk, but apparently nobody was going to convince Pat that decades of being a detective simply disappeared because his job title changed.
However, there's another chapter of Pat's life that I believe deserves equal recognition, and it involves his late daughter, 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗜 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢 𝗛𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗬.
Lori passed away in May 2018 at just 46 after battling cancer. She was a respected Jersey City educator who taught preschool at P.S. 28 for more than a decade and earned recognition as Teacher of the Year and Italian Educator of the Year.
What some may not know is that Lori originally worked in the financial industry before returning to school and earning her master's degree in Early Childhood Education at New Jersey City University.
Teaching children was what she wanted to do, and she went back to school to make it happen.
Following Lori's passing, the Dante Alighieri Society established a scholarship in her memory to help young women of Italian ancestry pursue college degrees in education, healthcare, public service, and related professions.
Pat was also a trustee of the Society, and that scholarship became another important connection between his family and the organization he spent years serving.
And we're talking about real financial assistance.
In 2025, 𝗥𝗜𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗔 𝗕𝗨𝗘𝗟𝗩𝗔𝗦 of Hoboken received a $5,000 scholarship toward her nursing education.
This year, two young women were recognized. 𝗟𝗜𝗟𝗔 𝗠𝗖𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 of Hoboken, pursuing hearing and speech sciences, and 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗢 of North Bergen, studying nursing.
I find something particularly touching about that. Pat spent years making Christmas special for children. His daughter devoted her professional life to educating them. And today, young women are receiving financial help to pursue their own careers through a scholarship bearing Lori's name.
A family's painful loss became an opportunity to help somebody else's daughter.
And I imagine for a father who lost his little girl, seeing her name continue through something connected to education had a meaning that no public honor could ever match.
Pat leaves behind his wife, 𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗬𝗡, and his children 𝗝𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗦, 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗕𝗜𝗘, and 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡. His son 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢 is a 𝗖𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘𝗬 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧, continuing his father's connection to law enforcement.
Think about that family for a moment. A father who served as a Jersey City detective, a son who rose to the rank of Police Captain, a son-in-law who also became a detective, and a daughter whose commitment to educating children continues to help young women through a scholarship bearing her name.
Pat's six grandchildren, were his life.
I've said before that our heritage celebrations shouldn't be limited to politicians, wealthy businesspeople, or people whose names are constantly in the headlines.
There are people who spent decades doing good things around Jersey City without making a career out of being recognized for them.
Pat was one of those people.
He didn't need a fancy title at the Dante Alighieri Society to pick up a telephone, ask for donations, collect toys, or help a room full of children enjoy Christmas.
And while he may have been tough on the outside, I think his work with those children tells us something about the heart underneath.
𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞 “𝗣𝗔𝗧” 𝗦𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗢 did his part.
Retired Jersey City Police Detective. Detective Emeritus, as his family and his brotherhood affectionately called him. Dante Alighieri Society trustee. Husband, father, grandfather, and a gentleman whose community service deserves to be remembered.
My condolences to his wife Rose, James, Debbie, Darren, Mark, Alyssa, Rachel, and the entire Sorrentino and Hennessey families.
The Hudson County Chronicles proudly honors Pat during 𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘 & 𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.
And come December, when those children gather for Breakfast with Santa, I hope someone takes a moment to remember the tough old detective who helped make it possible.
Rest peacefully, Pat.
𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗢, 𝗣𝗔𝗧. 🇮🇹
