Patricia A. Kuras 9/11 Memorial Way

A Remembrance

At the northernmost end of Grant City, on a wooden utility pole at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Husson Street, you will find the street sign that bears the inscription:

Patricia A. Kuras
9/11 Memorial Way

As the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks approaches, if we look around our neighborhoods, we can see many such reminders of friends and loved ones that never returned home on that dark day. One of the Grant City residents that was lost lived at 239 Husson Street.

Patricia A. Kuras was born in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, N.Y. on September 30,1958. She was the youngest of three children born to Thomas and Frances Kuras. She had two older brothers, Michael and Thomas, the oldest. Her family eventually moved to the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, where she attended St. Ephremʼs grammar school and then Fort Hamilton High School. After graduating from high school, Patricia attended Grace Institute and received a degree in Business Administration.

Her first job was with the law firm of Davis, Polk and Wardwell. After several years she left the law firm and went to work for Barclays Bank, where she held the position of facilities manager. In mid 2000, when Barclays Bank downsized their New York City operation, Patriciaʼs position was eliminated. She was unemployed until May 2001, when she was hired as a facilities manager for the Marsh & McLennan Companies. Her office was located on the 93rd floor of the North Tower, One World Trade Center.

Patricia initially moved to Staten Island in 1990, when she bought a house at 46 Grant Place. She completely renovated the house and made it into a showplace. She loved to entertain family and friends and everyone enjoyed her house and her company. In 1994, her mother Frances, by then a widow, also moved to Staten Island. Frances bought a condominium at 100 Colfax Avenue. Just a few short blocks away from Patriciaʼs Grant Place residence.

Patricia moved to 239 Husson Street in 1998. She bought the house to care for her mother. Frances had suffered a stroke in 1996 and was confined to a wheelchair. The condominium on Colfax Avenue made it difficult to provide Frances with a decent quality of life. Patricia renovated the house to meet her motherʼs special needs. She put in a wheelchair ramp to allow easy access into and out of the house and she remodeled the shower area in the bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible. Patricia lived in the basement so that her motherʼs live in care giver could have the bedroom next to Frances. Patricia sold her little red sports car and bought a van with a lift that could accommodate a wheelchair.



*Written by Thomas & Helene Kuras