Victoria Patino

Geraldine Victoria Patino (nee Nelson) "Vicki" passed away peacefully in Raleigh, NC on May 1st, 2025. Vicki was born in Charlotte, NC and attended school in Montclair and Mountain Lakes, NJ. Vicki married her high school sweetheart Luis Patino Nieto in 1967. Luis's corporate career took them to Bogota, Colombia, NYC, and later Washington DC. Vicki enjoyed accompanying Luis to social functions, one of which was the inauguration of former President Bush and dining at the White House. Their time was also spent in Mexico, the Virgin Islands, Argentina, and Canada.

Vicki was a talented artist and after graduating the Kimberly School in Montclair, NJ, her design portfolio won her a full scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design. Vicki, a humanitarian at heart, chose to study nursing but continued artistic pursuits throughout her life while working as a bilingual translator. She was honored when NYC Major Koch complimented her editorial translations for Noticias Del Mundo.

Vicki explored many areas of art and marketed custom designs for children in Bogota and designed for a US-based stitchery company. In retirement, she returned home to NC and delved into jewelry design, successfully marketing beautifully crafted bracelets. Having an aptitude for social media, Vicki created a Facebook account for the family cat, Sylvester, that attracted over 17,000 followers; even writing a comical critique voiced by Sylvester's protege, Kori, which was published by a charitable organization in support of cancer research. Family was important to Vicki and genealogy became a favorite pastime.

Vicki's love of animals was expressed in her art and in her support of animal welfare. She regularly rescued and rehabilitated orphaned wildlife who often became the subject of her annual Christmas Story, written as a gift for friends and family. Her love of holidays and her talents for decorating and creating crafted gifts will be well remembered. Her engaging personality could light up a room and she had the unique ability to find humor during even the most difficult of times.

Vicki was a thoughtful friend, a talented artist, and a devoted wife and mother of 3 children. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Luis; daughters Veronica Patino of Raleigh, NC and Cristina (Joshua) Charles of Red Hook, NY; grandsons Noah and Sascha Charles; her sister Patricia Provost of Unity, NH; and niece Lauren (Christopher) Garrecht of Unity, NH. Her son, Luis Eduardo (1971-1972) predeceased her.