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1940 Gerald 2020

Gerald Owen Patterson

October 2, 1940 — September 10, 2020

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” II Timothy 4:7 Gerald O. Patterson died at home on September 10 after a courageous battle with a rare cancer. He was born in Helena, MT to Willard and Annabelle Patterson. He grew up in Garrison, ND, graduated from North Dakota State University, served in the USAF, and received his Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. Jerry considered the defining experience of his life to be growing up on the prairies of North Dakota, where “I experienced exhilarating freedoms to try many childhood activities and to fail at more than a few.” He distinguished himself in his youth by achieving Eagle Scout at the age of thirteen. Attending NDSU, where he was in ATO social fraternity, he met his wife Nancy and they were married a year after his graduation. Together, they enjoyed a life of adventure, living in all four corners of the US and England. Throughout 56 years of marriage, they raised a wonderful family and enjoyed a wide variety of travels. In his professional career, he sought out the most difficult and “new-to-the-world” activities. He always felt at his best when breaking new ground or being a pioneer. As a young lieutenant in the Air Force, he was chosen for a Presidential mission to command US troops in the clean-up operation of the world’s first major oil spill caused by the wreck of the super tanker Torrey Canyon off the shores of Cornwall, England. A second mission found him in command of removing all US Air Force bases from France, in one month’s time, when Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from the NATO alliance. Upon completing his active military duty, he joined IBM and was trained in the sales and installation of large mainframe computers. As a highlight of this career, he was responsible for introducing an exciting new technology to the marketplace, Computer Aided Design (CAD). He continued his work career as an Officer for Fort Howard Paper Company. Throughout his many moves, he has been active in church life. He gave generously of his organizational skills and his kindness to help people in the church community. He enjoyed membership in Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh. He chaired the board of Maryland Special Olympics and was instrumental in founding The World Affairs Council of Delray Beach, FL. He played a major role in the various responsibilities of the Board of Traemoor Homeowners Association. True to his GOP initials, he was a strong supporter of the Republican Party and fulfilled his citizen responsibilities as a Judge at Election Day voting locations. If you had a computer problem, you could count on Jerry to fix it. He had good times with his Healthtrax workout group. He enjoyed golf, genealogy, travel, and gourmet dining. In his retirement, he became an accomplished chef and was happiest sharing his skills with family and friends. The great joy of his life was his family. He was so proud of his son Devon Patterson (Melissa), Chicago, IL, his daughter Sarah Salas (Doug), Raleigh, NC, and his five grandchildren, Owen and Bennett Patterson and Torrey, Trent, and Matthew Salas. He was a dedicated brother to Jim Patterson (Irene), Milwaukee, WI, and Judie Lee (Bob), Olympia, WA. He enjoyed friendship with his brother-in-law Bruce Toman (Cheryl), Phoenix, AZ. He was proud of his four nephews Michael and Tim Patterson and Jerrod and Stefan Lee. Services will be held Tuesday, September 15th at 2:00pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, 100 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604. Inurnment will be at Holy Trinity Anglican Church Columbarium at a later date. For those planning to attend the service, please register at the following link: www.eventbrite.com/e/funeral-service-for-gerald-o-patterson-tickets-120629519139>Funeral Service for Gerald O. Patterson at Holy Trinity Anglican Church For those who would like to view the livestream of the funeral, please visit the following link for the churchs YouTube page: Livestream for the Funeral of Gerald O. Patterson Memorial gifts may be made to Holy Trinity Anglican Church or Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, 1615 L Street NW, Suite 430, Washington DC 20036, www.curemeso.org/donate

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Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)

Holy Trinity Anglican Church

100 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604

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