Susan Lynne Patterson

Susan Lynne Patterson

Susan Lynne (Dillon) Patterson, age 75, passed away Saturday January 9th peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones (from complications of COPD). She was born on October 2nd, 1945 in Hollywood, California to Ward and Dorothy Dillon. Her childhood, in the heyday of early Hollywood, was idyllic and she loved music and was an avid bowler. She graduated from James Monroe High school in 1963 where she was an excellent student who focused her studies on language, especially French. She was also on the Drill Team.

She met and married Rayburn (Pat) Patterson in 1969. They made their home in the San Fernando Valley, CA. They had two sons, Sean Patrick Patterson (1970) and Ryan Victor Patterson (1973).

After the marriage ended, she moved to Gardnerville, Nevada where she ran her travel agency business, CO-OP Travel Marketing. She partnered with many Nevada businesses and locales to bring tourists to our area and Greyhound to the Gardnerville area. Her strong work ethic allowed her to raise her boys as a single mom and tirelessly work her businesses.

Her overriding parenting goal of making sure her boys got an excellent education came true as both sons graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno. This prompted her to follow her own advice and get her college degree. Susan graduated from the University of Nevada with her Bachelor's degree in 1994 and her Master's in Social Work in 1995. She was an excellent student and pursued her education on the east coast at Virginia Tech, studying the treatment of aging in Amish communities. She earned her Doctorate of Philosophy from Oregon State University in 2001. Her thesis, Ecology of Adult Day Care for Family Givers, was inspired by her close relationship with, as well as caring for, her mother Dorothy who was her travel partner, best friend, and partner in crime. Her high GPA qualified her for honor memberships in the Gold Key Society, Phi Theta Kappa, Sigma Pi Omega for Gerontology, and the Lambda Chapter of Kappa Omicron NU. After returning to Reno, she earned her second Masters in Community Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy in 2008. All this while working in her field in until retiring to be a full-time grandma.

When Susan wanted to do something, she always went all out—whether it be flower arranging classes, sewing her own clothes, decorating her house for every holiday, adopting and pampering orphaned pets, perfecting her fudge and cookie recipes, or starting a cottage jam business, DottieSue Jams, with her award-winning jams in her "spare" time. She loved family history and genealogy and connecting with relatives all across the world. Her love of antiques, a shared passion with her sister Patty and brother-in-law Don, meant every piece of furniture in her house had a story. She loved to travel and spent many hours in the car crisscrossing the country with Dorothy, her bird Georgie, and whoever could join them. Her trips to Amish country, Salem, Vermont and Washington, DC were among her favorites.

Her biggest source of pride, however, were her boys. Raising two high spirited boys on her own wasn't easy, but it gave her great pleasure to see them grow up to be happy, successful adults. Her sons gave her the second greatest source of pride, her grandchildren. She was always on call to listen, give advice, and if she saw fit, a butt kick to get you moving in the right direction. She never minced words, but it was always done with love and sass, and a good deal of humor. She taught many to see the good in themselves. One of her greatest lessons was to always keep trying. Even when things didn't go her way, Susan picked herself up, dusted herself off, and worked harder. She was truly one of a kind.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Ward (Bud) Dillon and Dorothy (Johnson) Dillon. She is survived by her beloved sister Patricia Dillon Clegg (Don), and twin siblings Deborah Dillon and David Dillon, her sons Sean Patterson (Kathy), Ryan Patterson (Jennifer), and her grandchildren Megan Patterson, Kylee Wetsel, Aiden Patterson, Chase Wetsel, Liam Patterson, Brendan Patterson, Quinn Patterson, Asher Wetsel, and Ryan Patterson. Also, her cherished nephew Cody Cummings (Kelly) and niece Katie Hunter (Joshua), and their children, Jaiden Cummings, Dillon Cummings, Mina Cummings, Keira Cummings, Jonah Cummings, Corbin Cummings, and Zoie Hunter.

Services will be held at a later date when travel restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Step 2 at step2reno.org