William Patterson

WILLIAM H. PATTERSON "BILL"
1929-2006

William H. "Bill" Patterson entered this life at 6:15 A.M. on August the 8th, 1929 at West Palm Beach, Florida. He stepped into eternity at 3:30 A.M. on December the 3rd, 2006 at Houston, Texas. He fought the good fight, he finished the course and he kept the faith. He won the battle but lost the war. After two years, cancer finally overpowered him.
Bill was raised in south Florida. He attended Palm Beach High School and Palm Beach Junior College. He left to join the United States Marine Corps where he served for seven years. He was a combat veteran of the Korean War. He returned from the war and received his Bachelors Degree from the University of Houston. He was employed by the FBI in Washington, D.C. and attended Law School in D.C. After a few years he transferred to the United States Secret Service as a Special Agent. This is the position he held until his retirement from government service.
He is preceded in death by his mother, three sisters and two brothers and Paula his wife of 41 years, a loss from which he never recovered. He is survived by his sisters Catherine Doral of San Diego and Rosalee Cowan of Houston. His sons Russell of Kerrville and Clark of Austin, Texas.
He was a man that loved nature and all of its beauty. A Certified Master Gardener, his yards were always full of beautiful flowers. He spent a lot of his free time working in community projects. He taught the four year olds and the young married classes at church and was active in many other civic groups. He worked in the Museums, Heritage Societies, RSVP and others. Bill prided himself on his Southern background, always trying to be a Southern Gentleman. He would always tell you he was an American by birth but a Southerner by the grace of God.
At his request there will be no services for him. His ashes will be taken to San Antonio to the National Cemetery in Fort Sam Houston where he will be buried next to Paula. In his life he had a simple motto which he lived by, "always do the best that you can". His favorite way of living was Carpe Diem and Semper Fi.