Jon Meyers Patterson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle and friend, passed away peacefully at home on January 11, 2024, at age 83.
Jon was born August 9, 1940, in Fairmont, West Virginia to his loving parents, Thomas J. and Mary Elizabeth Patterson (both deceased). He is survived by Karen Olivia Patterson, his wife of 59 years. Karen caught Jon’s eye soon after he and his family moved to New Hartford, NY. They began dating in high school and have been life partners since. Jon is survived by his two daughters – Susan Vannoy Guffey, her husband Matt, children Alex and Katherine, and Emily Auld Springston, her husband Rob, children Evelyn and Webster.
Jon was the oldest of three boys and often shared stories of their childhood adventures and mischief while living in West Virginia, Washington, DC, and upstate NY. He was predeceased by his middle brother, Tom Patterson (survived by Tom’s wife Linda and children Mike Patterson and Sarah Eloge), and his youngest brother, Mike Patterson (and son Blake).
After graduating from New Hartford High School in upstate New York, Jon served four years in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Texas and Turkey. He obtained his bachelor’s degree at the University of Buffalo, and then moved to Lawrence, Kansas, where both he and Karen obtained master’s degrees at the University of Kansas – his in Sociology.
His professional work reflected his love of learning and new experiences, including managing a small-town baseball team, teaching sociology, working many years for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and later owning and operating a sign-making business in Buffalo, New York. No matter his career, he always thought of himself as a sociologist and that emanated through his work and personal life.
Throughout his life Jon enjoyed many activities and hobbies including fishing, boating, singing in the church choir, teaching adult Sunday school, traveling, spending time with his grandkids and their activities, and most of all cooking. He was an active member of Camp Chapel United Methodist Church in Perry Hall, Maryland, and Williamsville United Methodist Church in Williamsville, New York. His love of cooking and finding new cuisines and recipes to try allowed those around him to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of food and how it brings people together in the kitchen and around the table.
His passion for boating eventually led him to sailing. He and Karen were long time members of Tuscarora Yacht Club and spent many beautiful summer days sailing on Lake Ontario. After retiring they traded in their sails and set out on a cruising boat, beginning their adventures on the waterways of the east coast and wintering in Florida, all while living on their boat.
It is hard to capture in a few words the type of person he was – as he himself was a man of many words and thoughts, who loved to engage with anyone who took time to sit and have a conversation.
Jon was loved dearly by his family and he will be remembered for his concern for his fellow human beings near and far, his deep understanding of the human condition, his desire to always engage in meaningful and interesting conversation, his passion for cooking, and his love of all things on and near the water.
The family will plan a memorial gathering this coming summer at Grandview Cemetery in Batavia, NY.
The family is so grateful for everyone at the Wilmot Cancer Center and Hospice Care, and we encourage our friends and family to consider donating blood or supporting their local Hospice in his memory.
