Patricia "Patsy" Bolling

Patricia “Patsy” Lea Bolling, 78, passed away peacefully on November 22, 2025, in Stuart, Florida, with her loving family by her side. Patsy is survived by her sisters, Peggy Trainer of Jensen Beach, Florida, and Paulette Cosden of Palm City, Florida.

Patsy was born on October 9th,1947, to parents Colonel Paul A. Bolling and Charlotte W. Bolling, at Eglin Air Force Base, in the western Florida panhandle. As the daughter of a career Air Force Officer, Patsy’s world travels started early. Patsy, along with her two sisters (Peggy & Paulette), would live wherever her father was stationed. Living on the Seine River, in Paris, France, as a child, Patsy and her sisters quickly picked up the language and were fluent in French by the time they had moved to England, before later returning to the U.S.

After graduating from Martin County High School in Stuart, Florida, in June of 1965, Patsy went on to attend, and later graduate from the College of Orlando. Patsy decided she wanted to work for a major airline, and in 1968, she signed on with TWA (Trans World Airlines) as a flight attendant. And so, her lifelong career began. Patsy loved flying and being able to see the world as part of her job. Patsy developed strong, lasting bonds with her fellow flight attendants, often remarking that she considered her TWA crew to be her "second family." As Patsy flew mainly international flights out of TWA’s New York hub, she found a home in the oceanfront city of Long Beach, New York, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island's South Shore. Because she loved her job so much, Patsy was motivated to enroll in additional training classes, working her way up to earn the esteemed position of Purser. In this role, she served as the senior flight attendant, responsible for overall cabin safety and service coordination.

Those who knew Patsy the best—her friends and co-workers—would universally describe her as an extremely caring and supportive person who would help anyone in need. Her most defining trait was her remarkable ability to maintain a calm and steady demeanor, even under intense pressure or during a crisis, a quality that everyone appreciated. Those skills would be put to the test, just three days before Christmas, on December 22nd, 1975, when the TWA Boeing 707 that Patsy was working on crashed in heavy fog, while attempting to land at Milan's Malpensa airport in Italy. On impact, all landing gear and all four engines were torn off, and the aircraft split into two Pieces. Amazingly, no one was killed, though 33 passengers were injured. Under chaotic and harrowing conditions, Patsy and her crew were able to help all the passengers to safety, including Luciano Pavarotti, the famous Opera singer, who was among the passengers on that fateful flight.

After taking some much-needed time off following the traumatic plane crash, Patsy returned to her duties at TWA, where she continued flying until she retired in 2005, moving into an ocean front Condo in Jensen Beach, Florida. Although Patsy retired from the airline, she still took full advantage of her continued flight benefits. It was nothing for her to hop on a flight to Paris with her friends or make an impromptu trip to New York City or the nearby Hamptons to visit her best friend, Suzanne Marchisello, a fellow retired TWA flight attendant. Patsy really enjoyed fine dining, and she always insisted on only having the best wine or champagne. Whether traveling on new adventures or just spending time with friends and family, Patsy lived her life to the fullest.

Patsy also leaves behind several nieces and nephews: Patty Gentile, & her husband Marcus, of Stuart, Florida, Terry Cosden, and Mark Stottlemyer, of Tampa, Florida, Jennifer Cosden, and Scott Cowham of Okeechobee, Florida, James Colton Cosden of Palm City, Florida, John White, and Taylor Donn, and their children Waverly and Weston, of Stuart, Florida, Ariel White, and her Fiancé Kyle Lemaster of Jensen Beach, Florida, Amelie Gentile of Stuart, Florida. She also leaves several cousins: Jimmy Bolling and his wife Mercedes, of Atlanta, Georgia, Eddie Bolling and his wife Lyn, and Harrison Bolling of Charleston, South Carolina; Sandra Burnett, Betsy Benning, and Stephen Burnett, of North Carolina.

Living in a world that sometimes has too much darkness, Patsy was a bright light that made this world a better place. As we grapple with the loss of our beloved “Patsy, we can find solace in knowing that her spirit will live on in our hearts forever. She will be dearly missed.