Roger Stanley Patterson

Roger Stanley Patterson (77) known as Roger by many and as Stanley by just as many, passed away on 29 July 2007. Roger was born in Douglas on 14 Dec 1929. He was the firstborn of August "Pat" Patterson and Agnes (Whatley) Patterson. He grew up in Douglas helping his father deliver milk products from the Purity Dairy. Graduating in 1947 from Douglas High School, Roger graduated from the University of Arizona as a Civil Engineer. Roger then worked for the Standard Oil Company in Venezuela, where he met and married Bahilda. Roger returned and served his country as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force in Greenville, Mississippi, and then returned back to Venezuela. After further adventures working in Turkey at an Air Force Base, and a growing family; Roger returned to his hometown, where he worked as an Engineer at the Phelps Dodge Smelter. Roger was a member of the First Baptist Church of Douglas, and was an active member of many public service organizations, including the Lions Club, the American Legion, the Elks Club, Shriners and proudly in the Free and Accepted Masons, since 1953. Roger could often be seen working on his fixer-upper cars, and his compassion to transporting ill children to the Shriner Children's Clinics. After earning a Master's Degree in International Business (MBA) from the Thunderbird School of International Management in Glendale, Roger continued his career with ARCO in Seattle, Washington, and then with Parson's Construction Company in Iran. Wherever Roger traveled and worked, he enjoyed learning and adapting to the local cultures, becoming fluent in many languages along the way, and making life-long friends in many countries. He was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, which was treated later in life. His last few years were spent in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Yuma where he continued to be loved and supported by his family. Roger was preceded in death by his younger brother Jack and grandson Daniel John Furr. He is survived by his former wife Bahilda of Douglas, and his four children: Ellen, her husband Mike Furr and son Gabriel from Flagstaff; Roger, his wife Karen, daughter Wesley and son Jacob from Yuma; Susan, her husband Roy Holley, son Justin and daughter Jessica from Texas; and John, his wife Nancy, sons Kyle and Jeffrey and daughter Audrey from Phoenix. Extended family includes many "Whatley" relatives in the Amarillo/Groom Texas area and Jack's family in Phoenix and Tennessee. A 2:00 pm memorial service will be held at the First Baptist Church of Douglas on Saturday, September 1st. Roger will be interred at the Douglas Cemetery. Rather than flowers, the family would be honored for remembrances to be given in Roger's name to the Shiner's Hospital for Children, www.shrinershq.org His indomitable spirit, contained within a fallible human shell, will always be remembered by those who loved him.