Patricia Kind, 91, philanthropist who aided vulnerable
Patricia van Ameringen Kind, 91, of Huntingdon Valley, a nurse who became a caring philanthropist, died Sunday, Jan. 10, of dementia at Brandywine Dresher Estates.
Patricia van Ameringen Kind, 91, of Huntingdon Valley, a nurse who became a caring philanthropist, died Sunday, Jan. 10, of dementia at Brandywine Dresher Estates.
Born in South Orange, N.J., Mrs. Kind was the middle daughter of Arnold L. and Hedwig Pfaltz van Ameringen. She attended Kent Place School, where she earned all-Northern New Jersey First Team Field Hockey status and was voted "best personality."
She attended Monmouth Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and became a registered nurse, foreshadowing a lifetime devoted to caring for others, her family said.
Her first nursing job was in Philadelphia, where she met Philip Kind Jr. They were married in 1951, and raised five children in Huntingdon Valley while tirelessly contributing time and money to worthy causes.
Sister Mary Scullion, executive director of Project HOME, described Mrs. Kind as a pioneering philanthropist who in the 1980s sensed the plight of Philadelphia's vulnerable homeless, especially mentally ill women.
Not only did she donate money before the cause became trendy; she also carried herself in a way that was gracious, unpretentious, and empowering, both to Project HOME workers and the formerly homeless.
"She was one of the most compassionate women - she had a heart of gold. She had the biggest heart of anyone I've every known - and she had the greatest sense of humor," Scullion said.
Interested in the impact her support was having, Mrs. Kind visited with "the women we worked with," Scullion said. "Everybody would be happy to see her when she walked in the door."
"It was a privilege to work with her and be inspired by her commitment," Scullion said.
Blanka Zizka, director of the Wilma Theater, said she met Mrs. Kind in 1983 while struggling to open a play, The Insect Comedy.
"I remember being completely overwhelmed, distraught, and exhausted from trying to run a small theater on a nonexistent budget. Instead of celebrating the opening, I was on the verge of tears," Zizka said.
Mrs. Kind introduced herself to Zizka. The two women talked.
"Two days later, the Wilma received a personal check from her in the amount of $10,000. I hadn't known she was a philanthropist, and Patricia completely surprised me," Zizka said. Mrs. Kind remained involved with the Wilma over the years.
Mrs. Kind also volunteered on the board of the Montgomery County Visiting Nurse Association and helped to found Hedwig House and Circle Lodge, both in Norristown.
In 2014, United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey created the Kind Society to honor the couple's "incredible legacy of supporting the community" over 60 years, her family said.
Mrs. Kind served for many years as a board member of her family's New York-based van Ameringen Foundation. She was the foundation's president through the 1980s.
In 1996, she created the Patricia Kind Family Foundation, seeded with a gift from the estates of Mrs. Kind's parents. She made a point of giving to the most vulnerable of society, her family said.
"It was her quiet personal giving that set Patricia Kind apart," the family said. "She cared deeply about others and was a thoughtful and involved philanthropist."
For the last decade, Mrs. Kind had struggled with dementia. "She dealt with dying in the same way she lived her life - with grace, compassion and humor," her family said.
She is survived by sons Ken Kind and Andy Kindfuller; daughters Laura Kind McKenna, Christina Kind, and Valerie Kind-Rubin; 19 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a brother. Her husband died in 2004.
A memorial celebration is to be Friday, Jan. 15, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center of Philadelphia, 4200 Wissahickon Ave. A reception starting at 9:30 a.m. will be followed by an 11 a.m. memorial service. Mrs. Kind donated her body to the Humanity Gifts Registry.
Memorial donations may be made to any charity.
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