Col. George Edward Patterson

Colonel (Retired) George Edward Patterson was born in Windsor, North Carolina on October 9, 1931 to the late Roderick and Lela Patterson. He was the youngest of two children. His sister Wilhelmina Patterson Lasley preceded him in death in 2008.

George also nicknamed “Pat” received his primary and secondary education at Robert L. Vann School in Ahoskie, North Carolina. He graduated from Robert L. Vann in 1949 then attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. George graduated with a physical education major in 1953. He received his Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force that same year. On December 26, 1953, George married his college sweetheart, Constance Marlene Dixon.

Pat attended pilot training at Hondo Field and Bryan Air Force Base both in Texas. His follow on assignments took him to O’Hare Field in Illinois. Then he did a remote tour of duty in Canada. In 1957, he was assigned to Williams Bay Air Force Station (AFS) in Wisconsin. George attended the Air Force Weapons Controller School at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida in 1958. A year later he was assigned to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Air Defense Center at Fort Custer, Michigan. From 1961 to 1964, Pat was assigned to the 601st Tactical Control Squadron at Sembach Air Base, Germany. In 1964, he was assigned to the 776th Air Control Squadron as operations officer at Point Arena AFS, California. In 1966, he served in Vietnam at Tan Son Nhut Air Base. Following his Vietnam tour he was reassigned to Headquarters Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado from 1967 to 1970. Colonel Patterson served as avionics squadron commander at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina from 1970 to 1972. From 1972 to 1975, he was assigned to the Air Force Security Service in Frankfurt and at Sembach Air Base in Germany. Colonel Patterson was later assigned to Udorn Air Base, Thailand for eight months in 1975. His final tour of duty was back in Colorado Springs at ADC Headquarters where he retired in 1977 after almost 24 years of service.

After serving in the Air Force, George worked for Martin-Marietta and Hughes Aircraft Company as an air defense systems consultant for several years.

He was married 58 years to the late Constance Dixon Patterson who preceded him in death in 2012. George has two sons, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Roderick H. Patterson, his wife Ivonne, and Navy Captain (retired) Michael S. Patterson, his wife Susan. He also leaves behind four grandsons, Aaron Patterson, Ryan Patterson, Gabriel Patterson and Norbu Frances and a granddaughter, Dachin Frances. Ryan is married to Anata Walsh. Dachin is married to Connor Fitzpatrick. George has two great-grandsons, Nico Frances Fitzpatrick and Leon Wesley Fitzpatrick.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Swan-Law.com for the Patterson family.