B.J. ‘Bill’ Patterson , 77; Vietnam War Army veteran
A memorial service for B.J. “Bill” Patterson, 77, of Fairway, Kan., formerly of New Albany, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Roasland Park, Kan. He died Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at Kansas City Hospice House, KCMO surrounded by his family.
Heart disease was the contributing cause of his death. He was born Feb. 1, 1932, to Hazel and Walter Patterson, the last of six children, in Metropolis, Ill., the home of Superman, he liked to tell people! The family moved to New Albany, where he attended public schools until entering Indiana University, earning a B.A. He was a Sigma Chi. He entered the Army as an ROTC cadet immediately following graduation. He met and married Sharon Weber Patterson, of neighboring Jeffersonville, while in the Army and decided to make the military his career. They traveled to Alabama for helicopter school followed by a tour of duty in Hanau, Germany. He spent two tours of duty in Vietnam (1965 and 1968) in between earning his MBA in marketing at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He attended General Staff College prior to his assignment as a professor of military science at Wentworth Military Academy, Lexington, Mo., retiring from there in 1975 for his 20 years of service. He and his family moved to Fairway, Kan., after retirement where he began his civilian career in banking on the Plaza. Several other career opportunities followed — teaching at the Brown Mackie College, director of Aero Mechanics School at downtown airport, and finally, real estate. He enjoyed fishing and hunting as a young man and horse and dog racing in his later years. Woodlands was an important destination and he mourned its closing. He was an avid IU basketball fan (Bob Knight, his idol) and maintained long distance communication with childhood friends, fraternity brothers and Army Aviators (503rd Aviation Co.) regularly and attended all reunions.
Survivors include his sister, Lucille Stevens; wife, Sharon; son, Joseph and his wife, Linda; daughter, Lee Anne and her husband, Chip; and grandchildren, Meagan, Ian, and Greer Keith, and Drew and Dierdre Patterson, all of whom he was very proud.
He was preceded in death by his parents; and four of his siblings, Dr. Cecil Patterson, Juanita Grube, June Eurton and Maurice Patterson.
He requested cremation with interment and full military honors at Ft. Leavenworth National Cemetery at a later date.
Visitation at the church will be after 10 a.m. Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to St. Agnes School, American Lung Association, or a charity of your choice.
Heartland Cremation & Burial Society, Kansas, is in charge of the arrangements.
