John David Patterson

ARLINGTON -- John David Patterson, 75, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016, at his home in Arlington after a long, hard battle with prostate cancer. Funeral: 10 a.m. Monday at North Davis Church of Christ, 1601 North Davis Drive, Arlington. Interment: Moore Memorial Gardens, Arlington. Visitation: The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington. Memorials: Donations may be made to Hearts and Hands, 1601 North Davis Drive, Arlington, Texas 76012 or Heart to Heart Hospice, www.h2hfoundation.org. John David was born on Sept. 20, 1940, to Doyle and Lois Patterson in Lubbock. He moved to Fort Worth at the age of 4. He attended Sam Rosen Elementary, J P Elder Junior High, and was a 1958 graduate of North Side High School. He received his BS in electrical engineering in 1962 from Arlington State College (now UTA). He continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving his MS degree in 1964, and his Ph.D. in 1966. In 1991 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award for Professional Achievement at UTA. He began his professional career at Texas Instruments and then worked at Xerox Corporation. After Xerox, he began a lengthy career as head of Research and Development for Tandy Corporation where he was senior vice president. After retiring from Tandy Corp., he spent six years as vice president at Cooperative Computing in Austin. He returned to Arlington in 2000, where he was associate dean of the College of Engineering at UTA. John David was a longtime member of North Davis Church of Christ where he had many lifelong friends. He was serving as an elder at North Davis at the time of his death. He enjoyed spending time as a volunteer at Hearts and Hands, teaching at the Arlington Night Shelter, tutoring for Lamar High School students at the Rec, and leading various Bible classes and small groups at North Davis. He and his wife, Brenda, were very involved with the senior members at church heading up the "Livewires" and the "Transformers" programs. His love for Christ and his love for everyone he encountered was evident in his day-to-day life. His family was very dear to him. He married the former Brenda Morrison on June 1, 1963. They were the parents of three children and were blessed with eight grandchildren. His favorite pastime was spending time with his grandchildren and enjoying their activities. He also enjoyed golf, fishing and traveling. Survivors: His wife of 52 years, Brenda; his son, Jason Patterson and wife, Danielle, and their children, Charlsi Jayne, Isabella and Colt, all of Nashville, Tenn.; his daughter, Penne Hatcher and husband, Jeff, and their sons, Caleb and Aaron, of Rowlett; daughter, Paige Hammit and husband, Matt, and their sons, John Patrick, Jackson and Hayden, of The Woodlands; Pixie, his faithful four-legged furry third daughter, who never left his side and brought him a lot of comfort in his final days. He is also survived by brother, Jim Patterson and wife, Sandy, of Jacksonville, Fla.; sister, Linda Purdy and husband, Ira, of Amarillo; sisters-in-law, Alpha "Dink" Autry and Ruby Lee Reed of Saginaw; nieces and nephews; and many loving friends. Wade Family Funeral Home Arlington, 817-274-9233