Gene Vance Neff Paterson

Gene Vance Neff Paterson

AGE: 90 • Charlottesville, VA

Gene Vance Neff Paterson, 90, died peacefully at her home in Charlottesville, Virginia, on April 14, 2014 due to cancer. Gene was born in Abingdon, Virginia, on July 4, 1923, to William N. and Gladys V. Neff. She married Robert W. Paterson on September 28, 1946, in Abingdon. Gene grew up in Abingdon where she attended William King High School. Gene traveled to Columbia, Missouri, to complete her last year of high school at Stephens College where she majored in dance. She took a post graduate year at National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, before attending college at St. Mary's in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1942. During the war years, Gene worked at The Treasury Department in Washington, DC. She would often meet her fiancé, Bob Paterson, who was working at The State Department, in front of The White House after work which was located between the two work sites. And, thus, began a lifetime for the two of them of "meeting in the middle" which they did with humor, grace, and love for 51 years. After their marriage, Gene and Bob moved first to Havana, Cuba, where Bob served as Vice Consul of The United States, followed by assignments in Rio de Janeiro and Vitoria, Brazil, and Barbados. These early adventures established Gene's lifelong interest in travel. Among her favorite destinations were Alaska, The Galapagos Islands, and various locales in Africa. Later, Gene and Bob moved to Columbia, MO, with Bob's job as Director of The Research Center, and later, Dean of the College of Business at The University of Missouri. They lived and enjoyed life in Columbia for over 40 years where Gene was active in the community. She enjoyed volunteering with The Salvation Army, and The Dental Aid Program through her association with The Cecile-Taylor Circle of The King's Daughters. Also, she served on the board for the Greater Missouri Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Following Bob's death in 1998, Gene moved to Charlottesville to be close to family where she was active for many years with Meals on Wheels, and was a member of The Mayflower Society. Throughout her life, Gene especially enjoyed flower gardening, needlepoint, reading, and yearly vacations to Pawleys Island, SC. Her favorite role, however, was always as a wife and as a mother to her children who adored her.

She is survived by son Chris Paterson and his wife Heloisa, and their children Andrea Tannuri, Marcos Paterson, and Patricia Paterson of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; daughter Ann P. Schmitt and her husband John Schmitt of Martinsville, NJ, and their daughters Jane Davis of Washington, DC, and Kathryn Schmitt of Martinsville, NJ; and her daughter Ellen Rippeto and her husband Tom Rippeto of Columbia, MO. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Paterson.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 19 at 2:00 pm in the Monroe Room at The Colonnades in Charlottesville, Virginia. A funeral service will be conducted on Wednesday, April 23 at 11:30 am at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon, Virginia, followed by burial at Knollkreg Cemetery. Memorials may be made to The William N. Neff Center Scholarship fund at Emory and Henry College, Meals on Wheels of Charlottesville, or Hospice of The Piedmont.