Patricia C. “Patty” Waldman, whose concern for abused, neglected and abandoned children led to a more than four-decade career as an attorney with Maryland Legal Aid, died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage March 28 at Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center. The Annapolis resident was 73.

“Patty was smart, committed and passionate when it came to working with children,” said Vicki Schultz, executive director of Maryland Legal Aid. “She was a quiet leader and highly effective. She was very committed and focused on the status of children, and was not only so dedicated to our mission but also to the growth of our staff.”

Amy Petkovsek, who rose to become Maryland Legal Aid’s deputy chief counsel, worked closely with Ms. Waldman, who spent the bulk of her career in its Prince George’s County office.

“When I came there I was a staff attorney and Patty became my mentor and we worked directly with each other,” said Ms. Petkovsek, who for the last year has been the executive director of the Community Law Center in Baltimore.

“She was a remarkable boss who saw the light in us that needed to stay lit in order to do the work that we did,” Ms. Petkovsek said. “We were working with children who had been sexually and physically abused and neglected. We saw horrific evidence and there were many hard moments, but she kept us going and doing it.”

Patricia Cox, daughter of Charles Hurley Cox, a Baltimore lawyer and a parliamentarian in the state House of Delegates, and Marie Cox, was born in Baltimore and spent her early years living near Herring Run Park, before moving with her family to a home on Bellona Avenue in Towson.

She was a graduate of Towson High School and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

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