Very Bad News--One Of Our Own
Jerry Patten
Blogs
Thursay, October 28, 2021
One of our old members, Jerry Patten, has died. He was 83.
He died from a stroke, the result of complications from a stent procedure. Apparently this was a very, very rare event. Jerry was golfing the day before and planned only an overnight stay in the hospital.
Some of you knew him, and maybe there are others reading this page that no longer shoot with us that knew him. Sorry to announce a death this way, but his son, Jeff Patten just called and asked me to pass the word. It took a couple days to unlock Jerry's phone, and then they've tried to call whatever numbers they could. Visitation is tonight in Mt. Vernon, and burial tomorrow in the Springfield Veteran's cemetery.
As I recall (from my memory here, totally), Jerry graduated from Southwest Missouri State University. He had been on the shooting team and attended Camp Perry in 1959 (smallbore). In those days everybody did ROTC, and immediately upon graduation Jerry was sent to Vietnam. When he got off the plane he met an officer who knew him from ROTC and requested Jerry's assignment to his headquarters (4th Infantry Division, I think, based on Jerry's license plate). He was a lucky man. He retired as a Lt. Col. and ran a number of companies. Jerry was the most prepared person I ever met, always making plans and always moving to get something done.
Jerry, his son Jeff, Les Welch, and I spent a number of summer days and nights together at Camp Perry, 2002-2006. We had fun, for sure. In those days you were given the year patch for your jacket in your registration materials, and Jerry and found one for 1959 in the NRA store. His jacket therefore bore the National Match brassard along with the year patches for 1959 and 2002. What a hoot.
We will miss him.
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