1/5/2007

Dr. George Patterson 


    BURLINGTON — Dr. George  Graham Patterson , age 77, of 4560 Friendship-Patterson Mill Road, passed away Wednesday, January 3, 2007, at Duke Medical Center in Durham.
    A native of Alamance County, he was the son of the late Dr. Hobart and Nina Patterson , and the husband of Nina Wilson Patterson , who survives. Dr. Patterson  retired as a Dental Practitioner after 43 years. He was a member of Friendship United Methodist Church. He graduated from Elon College and the Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry, and served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force. He was an avid airplane pilot, a former President of the N.C. Aero Club and had served as President of the Airport Authority. Dr. Patterson  was a member of the Antique Auto Club and the Studebaker Club, was a former President of the Alamance Civitan Club and had served on the E.M. Holt School Board. He was known to be a staunch Republican, an avid woodworker, and an animal lover.
    Survivors include his wife, Nina Wilson Patterson  of the home; children, Dr. David Patterson  and wife, Ruth, George Patterson  and wife, Joan, all of Burlington, Jane Eddy and husband, Dr. Ralph Eddy, of Asheboro, Susan Muir of Charlotte and Frank Patterson  of Burlington; grandchildren, Brian Patterson , Dr. Stuart Patterson , Nathan Patterson , Will Patterson , Lori Beth Patterson , Robert Patterson , Katie Wall and Michael Eddy; great-grandson, Blake Patterson ; brother John Patterson  and wife, Ann; and sister, Jean Mann and husband, Chuck, all of Burlington; and a special great-aunt, Nannie Keck. He was preceded in death by his sister, Ann Livingston.
    Funeral services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 7, 2007, at Friendship United Methodist Church by the Rev. Al Horne and the Rev. Jack Page. Interment will follow in the Friendship United Methodist Church cemetery. Dr. Patterson  will remain at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory until taken to the church, where he will lie in state 30 minutes prior to the funeral service.
    The family will receive friends at Lowe Funeral Home and Crematory from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, and at other times at his home.
    Condolences may be sent to the family at
info@lowefuneralhome.com 3, Dr. George Patterson

1/6/2007

More than a dentist
Dr. George Patterson  dead at 77
By Robert Boyer Times-News
robert_boyer@link.freedom.com

George Patterson  was a renaissance man in a flannel shirt.
A gentle, humble man with friends in high places, he remained true to his Southern Alamance County roots.
    Pilot, traveler, storyteller, woodworker, antique car restorer, animal lover, political candidate — Patterson  was a quick study who easily tackled about anything he tried, friends and family say.
    Above all, he loved Nina, his wife of 56 years and their five children — David, George , Jane, Susan and Frank.
    "He had a very interesting life. He always had a story about something that happened," Frank says.
    George Patterson  died Wednesday. He was 77. He was the brother of John Patterson , the former chairman of the Alamance County Board of Commissioners.
    Like his father and grandfather, Patterson  made his living as a dentist. After graduating from the Medical College of Virginia, he practiced as a major in the Air Force. He later opened an office in the Village of Alamance, on N.C. 62 several miles north of his home on Friendship-Patterson Mill Road. He retired in 1997.
    During his 43-year-career, Patterson  fixed more than teeth.
    He gave away his services to poor patients or those down on their luck. "In all honesty, he didn’t charge enough," says Frank, who owns a dental lab. "He was always a kind-hearted soul."
    Every Christmas, Patterson  took fruit boxes and toys to childhood friends and patients in need.
    He escorted some to a friend’s clothing shop. "My Dad used to bring them in throughout the year and stock them up with clothes," says David Patterson , George’s  oldest son. David and his son, Stuart, run the family dental practice.
    George  and Nina were devoted to each other and their children. "They always supported us, no matter," says Frank. "They were the strength behind us." The children, in return, didn’t want to disappoint. "Mom and Dad had a means of disciplining us. All they had to do was give us a look."
    George  loved adventure and challenging pursuits. Many involved travel.
    After graduating from high school in 1947, he and friend Tommy Way took a threemonth tour of the Southwest in a Studebaker truck. Nights were spent under desert stars, camping out in the back of the truck.
    WHILE BARELY A teen, George  got his pilot’s license. "Over dinner one night he told his mother he had soloed," says Susan. He later became president of the local airport authority.
    He became a skilled, coolheaded pilot who flew throughout the U.S. and always got himself and his family home safe.
    Once, the engine quit on his plane as he, Willie and David took off on a flight to the Grand Canyon. George  calmly switched to an auxiliary fuel tank and worked the engine until it fired again.
    Another time, a wheel snapped off George’s  plane as it touched down in Fayetteville. The landing gear caught in a crack, which dropped a wing and spun the plane around. George  managed to keep the craft from crashing and brought it to a stop. He coolly kicked open a door and got Nina and Frank out. "Nothing ever really shook Dad up too much," Frank says.
    George , a staunch Republican, ran an unsuccessful campaign against state Sen. Ralph Scott in the late 1960s. He also served as president of the Alamance Civitan Club.
    There was so much more.
    George  recently became ill with an infection, and the condition worsened. His body worn out and the end near, he spared his family an agonizing decision and took himself off life support.
    George Patterson  died as he lived, surrounded by his greatest accomplishment, his family.
    When the end came, his daughters were holding his hands and singing to him.
    David admires his father’s strength and peace in the face of death.
    "He was his own man to the end." 310