Mary Jo Patterson

Mary Jo Patterson, 86, passed away on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015.

She is survived by her three children: Don Patterson, and wife, Pam, of Fort Collins, Colo., Len Marshall and wife, Lorri, of Loveland, Colo., and Lynn May and husband, Don, of Durango, Colo. She is also survived by her brother, Dr. Donald W. Brown, and wife, Peggy, of Sacramento, Calif., and her sister-in-law, Phyllis Patterson of Rio Verde.

Jo also has 12 grandchildren and 8 great- grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Jo was born on Jan. 30, 1928, in Burlington, Colo. to Joseph Donald and Seletha Alice Brown. The family later moved to Longmont, Colo. While attending the University of Colorado in Boulder, she met her husband of nearly 60 years, Stewart “Ted” Patterson.

When she graduated from college, she worked as a school librarian in Denver before beginning her family. Ted and Jo moved the family to Ted’s hometown, Loveland, in 1964. Along with being a full-time wife and mother, Jo became an ardent and successful golfer, winning many club and city championships.

Ted sold his business, Colorado Screw Machine, in 1980 and the couple enjoyed many golf vacations together. Then in 1985, they moved to Rio Verde. They devoted many years to golf and bridge while receiving numerous visits from their children and grandchildren.

Ted passed away in 2010, but Jo continued to play duplicate bridge with three different groups, and kept up her lifelong love of reading. She was a member of the Community Church of the Verdes, PEO, and Alpha Phi Sorority.

Jo was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May, but chose to gracefully ignore the disease for as long as possible. Two weeks before her death she moved in with her daughter, Lynn, in Durango for a brief stint of hospice care before her death on Monday. A memorial service will be held in Rio Verde in the near future, and next summer her family will have a celebration of her life in Loveland, Colo.

Memorial donations may be made to Engineers Without Borders, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO, 81301 or any food bank or hospice organization of your choice.