Pat McArtor Turns 100: Del Ray’s Beloved Jazz Singer

ALEXANDRIA, VA. — On October 10, Del Ray resident Maria Patricia “Pat” Downey McArtor turns 100 years old. Yet if you walk into St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub on any given Thursday evening, you will hear a sound that makes that triple-digit milestone seem downright impossible.

The clinking of coffee mugs fades. The gentle hum of laptop chatter quiets down. Through the aroma of espresso and warm pastries comes a rich, brassy voice singing classic tunes like “Baby Face” and “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey?”

Front and center, commanding the room with infectious charm alongside The Not-So-Modern Jazz Quartet, is Del Ray’s very own centenarian songstress: Miss Pat McArtor.

On a recent Thursday night, Pat took the stage while nursing a mild case of bronchitis. But sitting this performance out was simply not on the setlist. To the delight of a packed Del Ray crowd, she delivered six full songs with unmistakable gusto. She leaned into the swing rhythms, traded smiles with the band, and brought down the house.

“I wouldn’t miss it if I’m able to get there,” Pat says with a bright smile. “Music is just too important.”

Centenarians are rare enough, but an independent woman turning 100 who still runs her own home, drives her own calendar, welcomes friends across four generations, and headlines a weekly jazz concert is truly one of a kind. For the Del Ray community, Pat McArtor is more than a talented performer. She is a beloved neighbor, a living treasure, and a direct link to the city’s early history.

The Musical Roots of Miss Pat

Where does that lasting spark come from? Pat traces it directly to her childhood home more than nine decades ago.

“Music is a very important part of my life,” Pat explains. “My mother and father both played the piano, and I’ve been singing since I was 8 years old.”

In those days, music was an everyday family joy rather than a pursuit of fame. Her father often sat down at the piano, struck a lively chord, and called out to the room: “Come on, Patricia, I want you to sing a number!”

Always Ready To Sing 

She was always ready to sing. Pat and her two sisters harmonized right along with their parents. On warm summer evenings, those melodies drifted out of open windows. Neighbors would gather along the porch just to listen to the family concert.

Singing quickly became second nature. That steady love for song carried her through school, wartime duties, decades of neighborhood growth, and everyday life.

The Journey to St. Elmo’s

Eventually, that musical journey led her to St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub. Pat first began taking the stage at local open-mic nights more than twenty years ago. In fact, when she sat down with city historians in 2008 to record an oral history, she was already a regular Thursday performer on Mount Vernon Avenue.

“Oh, it’s been about twenty years at St. Elmo’s,” Pat recalls. “Not this band at first. It was another group back then.”

About a decade ago, bandleader Jordan and his fellow musicians formed The Not-So-Modern Jazz Quartet. They immediately welcomed Pat to the microphone. The chemistry was instant. Before long, their Thursday residency became one of Del Ray’s most cherished traditions.

Rain, shine, or a scratchy throat, Pat shows up every week because music feeds her soul.

Cows, Streetcars, and Historic Front Porches

McArtor is a proud fourth-generation resident whose roots run deep in Alexandria soil. Her father’s family lived on Wilkes Street before moving to Del Ray in 1916. When her parents, Edward and his bride, married in 1922, they chose a home on the very same street.

“St. Elmo’s is two houses from the house that I grew up in,” Pat explains. “This is my whole neighborhood.”

Her childhood house was originally addressed as 114 West Peyton Avenue. Later, city planners renamed and renumbered the street to 109 East Del Ray Avenue. Pat lived there happily until she married at age 22.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Del Ray felt much like a quiet country village. Traffic was so light that neighborhood children played games of kick-the-can, jump rope, and hopscotch right on the street. Next door, a neighbor named Mrs. Smith walked her two dairy cows up the lane each morning so they could graze along the open grass.

Across the street sat a shoe repair shop and a beverage depot. Down on the corner stood a modest variety store run by the mother of John Phillips, who would later gain fame in the 1960s singing group The Mamas & the Papas.

Before electric refrigerators became common, the Downey family relied on an icebox. They kept a small card in the front window showing how much ice they needed that day. If supplies ran low on a muggy afternoon, Pat’s father drove to the rail yard platform, secured a block of ice to the car’s running board, and drove it home.

Her father, Edward Downey, worked for 46 years at Fruit Growers Express in Potomac Yard. Later, he served his neighbors as an Alexandria City Councilman. Because school was so close, Pat walked home every day for lunch with her mother, often sharing the meal with her father.

On weekends, she walked to the Palm Theater on Mount Vernon Avenue. Admission cost just ten cents for the Saturday serials. Pat still recalls how her grandmother once became so excited by the cowboy movie that she shouted a loud warning to the screen.

Community support was a way of life. During the Great Depression, men looking for work walked up the hill from Potomac Yard to knock on neighborhood doors. The Downey family always welcomed them, and Pat’s mother gladly prepared fresh sandwiches for anyone in need.

After attending St. Mary’s Academy, Pat supported the home front during World War II by working in federal offices and sorting mail at the Alexandria Post Office. When peace arrived in 1945, she joined neighbors riding down King Street with noisemakers to celebrate. She also followed her father’s example of public service by working at local election polling sites for over sixty years.

Embracing Modern Del Ray

Del Ray has grown from a quiet railroad hub into a bustling, walkable community. While change can be hard for some, Pat welcomes every new chapter with open arms.

“I can see the changes that have occurred, and I love it,” Pat says. “I love Alexandria.”

She particularly enjoys the local restaurants that bring people together. “There weren’t any restaurants around when I was a child,” Pat observes. “Now, you get a chance to meet people, and it’s not as closed as it was in those days.”

Pat visits local dining spots regularly. She loves Del Ray Cafe, the charming French-American restaurant housed in a restored 1925 home. When she wants hearty food and easy company, she visits Ramparts Tavern & Grill. “Why, Ramparts, of course!” she says. “I go there all the time.”

The Joy of Living Well

When asked what it feels like to reach 100 years of age, Pat gives a quick, knowing grin: “I guess it means I did something right!”

Her approach to life focuses on human connection, gratitude, and staying active.

“Your health is important, but friends and family are everything,” Pat explains. “That’s what keeps you going.”

Living to 100 means outliving family members and many peers, but Pat still welcomes new friendships with people of all backgrounds. She especially loves spending time around younger generations, and they love spending time with her.

“They give me ideas, for one thing,” Pat laughs. “And it shows that they don’t mind being with somebody older.”

In truth, patrons at St. Elmo’s are captivated by her spirit. When listeners realize the vocalist at the microphone is turning 100, the room fills with admiration.

“Some of them say, ‘I can’t believe it!’” Pat notes. “They’re very shocked, but in a happy way.”

Attitude is Everything

People often ask Pat if genetics explain her longevity and sharp mind. She quickly waves off that theory.

“No, not too much,” Pat insists. “My mother had a stroke and died in her 60s.”

Instead, Pat credits her long, healthy life to a positive mindset.

“I think your attitude makes the difference,” Pat says. “If you go around saying, ‘Oh, I feel terrible,’ you will feel that way. But if you say, ‘Boy, do I feel good!’—then you are going to feel good.”

As she enters her second century, Pat hopes her story reminds neighbors of all ages to celebrate each day with enthusiasm.

“Whatever is important to you will be important to others,” Pat says, “as long as you keep an attitude of being happy with your life.”

Join the Birthday Celebration

Del Ray is celebrating this milestone in style. Bandleader Jordan and The Not-So-Modern Jazz Quartet invite the entire Alexandria community to St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub (2300 Mount Vernon Avenue) every Thursday evening this October.

Mark your calendar, especially for Thursday, near October 10, to celebrate Miss Pat McArtor’s 100th birthday in person. Arrive early, order a pastry, and raise a mug to Del Ray’s favorite jazz vocalist.