Lee Patterson Stuart

Lee Patterson Stuart, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away on January 24, 2026. Born on January 9, 1945 to Dr. Owen and Mildred (Senff) Patterson. Lee grew up in the small, wooded town of Millersburg, Ohio, a community of just 3,000 residents nestled amid Amish country. Her father was one of the region’s few family physicians, delivering more than 3,000 babies during his career. From this upbringing, Lee inherited a lifelong sense of warmth, steadiness, and care for others.

Lee was one of four siblings and remained deeply connected to her brother and sisters throughout her life: Mary Beth, John, and Suzy. Her childhood in Millersburg was lively and full of wonderful experiences—she thrived in 4-H, loved horseback riding, pursued crafts, worked at the local drugstore soda fountain, taught swimming, studied piano at the Wooster College Conservatory, played clarinet and saxophone in the school band and orchestra, and became both a cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. She was also a National Science Fair finalist, foreshadowing the scientific curiosity that shaped her early career.

Lee graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in microbiology, spending summers working at resorts in Door County, Wisconsin, and Atlantic City, and even studying French in Switzerland.

Her professional life included positions as a microbiologist at Esso Research and Engineering (New Jersey) and Syntex Laboratories (Palo Alto), followed by roles as a medical technician at Peninsula Hospital and San Francisco General. Later, while raising her family, she worked as a travel agent in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, a role that blended her joy of exploring the world with her gift for helping others.

Lee’s life changed beautifully the day she arrived in San Francisco. After driving cross-country with two friends in search of a “new life,” she settled into the famed Pink Palace in Pacific Heights—a vibrant residence club where she soon met the love of her life, John Stuart. Their courtship spanned cities and miles as John worked on assignment in Walla Walla, Washington, flying back for their weekend visits in San Francisco.

John proposed to Lee in a Yosemite Valley meadow—he kneeling in soggy grass, she saying “yes” immediately as mosquitos descended around them. They married just after Christmas in December 1970, in snow-covered Millersburg, surrounded by family and the town that shaped her early years.

Together, Lee and John built their life in the Bay Area, living first in Twin Peaks and later settling in Lafayette, where they raised their two sons. Their first son, Patrick, born on New Year’s Eve 1973, tragically passed away in high school—a loss Lee carried with grace, resilience, and immeasurable love. Their second son, Michael, lives in Lafayette with his wife, Ellen, and three sons—William, Jack, and Grant—continuing Lee’s legacy of devotion to family.

Her interests were many and heartfelt. She was an accomplished pianist, an avid reader, a devoted crossword enthusiast, and a remarkably talented knitter and crocheter. Through her business, Cabbage Patch Crafts, she created wooden toys and handmade gifts that became staples of the Calico Christmas House Boutique in Lafayette during the 1970s and 80s.

She was active in her community as a longtime member and a Deacon at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, as well as a member of the Junior League of Oakland–East Bay and the Lafayette Chapter of P.E.O. Sisterhood.

Lee was happiest when gathering with family, whether at annual Patterson reunions in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, or spending July summers at the Stuart family cabin at Big Meadows, in the Calaveras National Forest. That rustic 1920’s cabin, with its outdoor sleeping deck, was one of her most treasured places.

As a travel agent and curious explorer, Lee traveled to more than 30 countries across the globe: Tahiti, Bora Bora, Australia (four times), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Turkey, Croatia, Thailand, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and many more. She once told her sister that the most “magical” trip of her life was visiting New Zealand’s South Island with her husband, John.

Lee will be remembered for her warmth, her grace, her creativity, her laughter, her curiosity for the world, and above all, her deep, unwavering love for her family. She touched lives wherever she went—and leaves behind a legacy of kindness, resilience, and joy.

She will be profoundly missed.