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Carl Howard Pato, 77, passed away peacefully on July 10, 2025. Born on October 8, 1947, he made the Lower East Side of New York City his home for much of his life, a place that shaped his character and his love of community. He later settled on Staten Island and, in his final year, moved to New Mexico to be near family.
Carl attended local schools, P.S. 160, P.S. 147, and J.H.S. 12. At Seward Park High School, he discovered a love for the oboe and was inspired by his band teacher, Mr. Arthur Rose, to pursue a career in music education. He went on to major in music at Queens College, where, when encouraged by faculty to pursue work on Long Island, he quipped, “Where would I be if Mr. Rose had stayed in Westchester?”
Carl served as a band teacher at J.H.S. 65 and I.S. 71, where he especially enjoyed the experience of working with his students each day. He was honored when, in 1979, his band was invited by President Jimmy Carter to perform at the White House Ellipse. When the City began cutting music programs, Carl took a sabbatical, earned a second license in mathematics, and returned to the classroom at I.S. 131 in Chinatown, where he taught math for the final seventeen years of his career.
Carl was a devoted father to his two children, Karen and David, whom he raised with unwavering love and commitment. He remained deeply involved in their lives and in the lives of his grandchildren, Michael and Allison, of whom he was endlessly proud. In his later years, he found companionship and joy with his beloved wife, Rona, a clinical therapist, and warmly embraced her family as his own.
He is survived by his daughter Karen Pato, his son David Pato and David’s wife Michelle, and his grandchildren Michael and Allison Pato. He also leaves behind his stepson Josh Degenstein and Josh’s wife Heather, and their children Ayva, Lyla, and Cooper; his brother and sister-in-law Barry and Jimena Pato; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Joseph and Sharon Katz; and his brother-in-law Perry Trebatch; and his nieces and nephews, Rusty Pato, Greg Pato, Jessica Drago, Jamie Katz, and Lori Katz-Maniero. He was predeceased by his wife, Rona Degenstein; his parents, William and Tillie Pato; his brother, Gerald Pato; and his sister-in-law, Hideko Pato.
He will be remembered as a caring and loving father and grandfather, a dedicated teacher and union member, and a steadfast friend. His legacy lives on in the many lives he touched with patience, wisdom, and kindness.
In accordance with his wishes, and in lieu of flowers, donations in Carl’s memory may be made to Alley Cat Allies, a cause that was especially meaningful to him.
Celebration Of Life
Recorded Friday, August 29, 2025
Carl’s family invites you to view the Celebration of Life Service & Reception to honor his life and legacy.
Thank you Mr Pate for not just teaching us math but also how to grow and act as a person. The world needs more teachers like you. You will definitely be missed by everyone.
Thank you Mr. Pate for being an amazing mentor and teacher to us while at 131 and beyond, you will be dearly missed. To David, Karen and family, I am sorry for your loss. I hope you find solace in knowing that Mr. Pate was deeply loved by his former students and even though he was only our teacher for 3 years, those years were some of the best years of school for us.
Mr. Pate, thank you for your years of lessons, for your generosity, and for going above and beyond to shape us into the people we are today. To David and family, please know that we, his students, will carry Carl Pato’s memory forward and his impact will live on in us.
Carl, I thought you were an amazing man. I will miss you.
To Dave, Karen and family. We are so sorry for your loss. This was a beautiful service full of love and joy for Carl’s life well lived.We very much admire your efforts to care for your dad according to his wishes in his final year of life.
Carl so generously joined my class from M.S. 56 when I took a class to “Penn Dutch” country. He was the expert, having taken classes there many times. I could not have pulled this off without his advice and presence. My husband Gary knew Carl too, as Gary volunteered at I.S. 131 to play piano for the school concerts.
And, he was part of the 35+ year old book group at 131.
This is a fabulous tribute. Thank you for the invitation.
I’m feeling sorry that I didn’t stay in contact with Carl more recently.
Beautiful photos on screen now.
A saintly man.
Mr. Pate, was how I and many other students knew by. He was my homeroom/math teacher at I.S. 131 about 25 years ago. I remember how enthusiastic he was about meeting us. We definitely were not the easiest bunch of kids to deal with, but his patience and enthusiasm molded us into what we are today. Fast forward a few years and we were all graduating and heading off into HS, and our class decided that he wasn’t only our homeroom/math teacher, he was our mentor. He was the glue that kept my class together because we would always get together to go out and grab a meal to catch up. There were even special occasions where he invited us into his home for a bbq. During those times, even though we were no longer in our classrooms, he continued to teach us about life. There was something he had said to me that stuck with me for the rest of my life. “Brian, I know you will succeed in life, because the laziest people are also the smartest.” At the time, I wasn’t sure if i should be insulted or proud, but I never forgot it and it stuck with me all through my HS and college years. I know he is proud of all his students, because when you are that great of an educator, lives change for the better. Eventually we all grew up and moved on to live different lives but we always made an effort to come back to “Homeroom” where it all started. David, on behalf of 602/702/802 my condolences to you and your family, and please rest easy knowing that your father had changed the lives of thousands of students. We all are grateful to have had him in our lives and we will never forget him.
We loved Carl so much. He made Rona just as happy as she made him. I truly believe that they were soulmates and didn’t want to live apart. He treated my children like they were his own grandchildren- always playing Sudoku with Lyla and helping them with their math. Holidays and family gatherings will never be the same. He is truly missed by our family!
Thank you for sharing memories of Carl. He was a wonderful educator and I will miss him terribly. May he rest in peace and always be smiling upon his beloved family.
Sending you all so much love and gratitude for this man that raised such a wonderful son who, along with his amazing family, have become such dear friends. I’m grateful I got to meet Carl at so many birthday party celebrations and family events.
Carl: you raised an amazing family, God bless you.
May God wrap his arms of peace, love and comfort around all of the family. Jim & Debbie Paxon
Carl Pato (aka Mr. Pate) was a most beloved human. I have so many lasting memories to cherish. Carl spent many, many hours ensuring my audition for Music & Art High School was just right. I recall, the Chairman of the Music dept opened the door during my audition to get a glimpse of me playing Mozart’s clarinet concerto and after I was done, he asked – Who is your music teacher and where do you hail from? Mr. Pate- JHS65. Trips to Coney Island, Asbury Park, BBQs on the terrace, so many special days shared.
I cut my hand in the school yard requiring stitches during recess one day. Carl comforted me and let me know he had a scar on his hand just like mine! There was an upcoming concert at the school and I didn’t think I would be able to play, but he made sure it all worked out and I was there for Fiddler on the Roof, Grease at Murray Bergstrum, a trip to the White House, performing wirh Carl at Queens College.
Many years later, I formed a Japanese taiko drumming group and Carl came all the way out to New Haven to watch my group perform In 2005, Carl drove up to my cabin in the Catskills for a pig roast gathering I was hosting and low and behold he knew my neighbors down the road. Small world. Carl made every day brighter with his rosy, cheery smile. A very humble person with the biggest heart of gold!. I am so fortunate our paths crossed and will truly cherish all the wonderful memories of our time spent together.
Rest in peace, Carl.
Sandra
Carl and I were great friends and colleagues in education for over 50 years. He loved his daughter and son and his grand children. I remember that He was always smiling and I enjoyed his silly jokes. We enjoyed taking our students to out of state trips. We also enjoyed meeting for lunches with other teachers after we retired.
I will always remember and miss tremendously my friend Carl.
I am so sorry to hear about your father’s passing, David! Please know that I’m thinking of you and your family during this difficult time and sending you my deepest sympathy.
David, My deepest condolences to you and your family. You were a good son who looked after your father who now at peace.
Dave, My sincere condolences to you and your family. It was a pleasure speaking with you these past couple months.
Thank you for sharing these beautiful memories and photos. It was a pleasure to get to know Carl and your family.
I’m so sorry to hear! Carl was my stained glass teacher at my first retiree class. He was warm and caring, a real nice man. Rest in heavenly peace!