Vanessa L. Patterson

1968 - 2023

PATTERSON, Vanessa L., unexpectedly passed away on February 8, 2023. Vanessa possessed an indomitable spirit in life, believing no challenge was too great to overcome. Passionate, generous and loving, she had an enormous impact on the lives of all she touched, leaving each person's life changed forever.

She is survived by her long-time partner, Pete; and sons, Carter and Graydon, of whom she was so proud and loved more than anything. She is also survived by her brother, Alex Taylor, his wife, Natalie and their sons, Brian and Nick of Ben Avon, Pa., and the best friend a girl could have, Tarah Williams, her husband, Dave and her son, Christian Carlow, who was like a third son.

Vanessa was born April 3, 1968 in Orange, Texas. Early in life, her family moved to Pittsburgh where she grew up. She graduated from Sewickley Academy and created lasting memories with family and friends. Known as "Steeler" lady, she was a life-long Pittsburgh Steelers fan; claiming it was a mostly tortured experience. She moved west for college attending University of California, Irvine where she first met Pete. In 1996, she relocated from Southern California to Richmond, Virginia to further pursue career opportunities and be closer to family. Vanessa had a variety of careers, including roles as a retail buyer in the clothing and consumer electronics business and as an entrepreneur owning multiple businesses. Most recently, Vanessa served as the executive director of Richmond Area Municipal Contractors Association and Precast Concrete Association of Virginia. However, her favorite pursuit in life was taking care of her "boys", Pete, Carter and Graydon.

Always one for a good time, she loved to host dinner parties displaying her passion for cooking, wine, entertaining and spoiling her family and friends. For nearly 15 years, "Bubbly Night" was a regular occurrence for close, lifelong mom friends to sip on bubbly and spend uninhibited time together. The travel bug bit her at an early age where she traveled to England, Spain, Australia and places throughout the U.S. and Caribbean, too numerous to list. This passion was shared with her boys as they created life time memories with trips to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Green Turtle Cay, California Wine Country, the Grand Canyon and Hawaii. Her desire was to create memories for the one's she loved through travel which she achieved without fail! In 2021, she and Pete pursued a dream for their future when they purchased a home in Roatan, Honduras. An avid beach lover, Vanessa was at peace when she was enjoying the warm sun, pool and the chance to catch up on her reading.

A private Celebration of Life will be held. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Comfort Zone Camp (comfortzonecamp.org) or Full Circle Grief Center (fullcirclgc.org).