Richard "Rick" Jerry Patterson

Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2020 at First Baptist Church of Pleasant Grove, AL. A Service of Remembrance for "Rick" will begin at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2020 at the church, and burial will follow at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham, AL. Pastor Tom Hannah will officiate.

Rick graduated from Ensley High School and earned the Bachelor of Science Degree in Education at UAB. He was married to the former Debra Janell Thompson on July 12, 1985.

He was predeceased by his mother-in-law, Jackie Sue Thompson. Remaining family includes Rick's wife, Debra; his mother, Annie Lou Patterson; two daughters, Kristy Kelley (Chris) and Stacy Shelton (Chris); one son, Jason Cargile; grandchildren, Logan, Colton, and Miles Kelley; two sisters, Pam Lemley and Lisa McManaway (John); father-in-law, Gordon Thompson; brother- and sister-in-law, Jerry and Sherri Thompson; and nieces and nephews, Hillary Lemley, Zach Lemley (Lindsey), Jordan McManaway, Kaitlin Richardson (Will), and Jamie and Ryan Thompson.

Coach Patterson amassed over 40 years of dedicated service to students in the classroom and on the field of play, having spent 27 of those years as head baseball coach at Hueytown High School. Previous stops included stints at Pelham, Fairfield, and Jones Valley.

Over his career as a head coach, his teams have earned 893 wins putting him among the top five all-time wins leaders in Alabama. Over his 27 years leading Hueytown, his teams earned 19 area titles, five runner-up finishes and made 24 trips to the state playoffs, including six trips to the semi-finals and a state championship appearance in 1997.

Coach Patterson has received numerous honors as Jefferson County, Birmingham Metro, and West Birmingham Coach of the Year and has produced a countless number of athletes to play at the next level and beyond. He is 2009 inductee of the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Although well-known for his success as a head baseball coach, those who knew him personally know he was much more than that. He was a loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and the greatest “Pock” (grandfather) there was -- most well-known in that role as the undefeated beyblade champion. He loved big and took care of others, oftentimes going out of his way to do so.

An active member of First Baptist Church of Pleasant Grove, Patterson served in several capacities with the children’s ministry for 12 years and youth ministry for 15 years. Most of those came as a camp counselor at Camp Baldwin and as a bus driver for various trips. In addition to being a dedicated coach, he was also a dedicated girl dad -- rarely, if ever, missing dance and cheer events, pageants, or prom pictures.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to Hueytown High School Baseball Boosters, Attn: Billy Chandler, 4881 15th Street Rd., Hueytown, AL 35023. Or give to FBCPG Chandler Family Life Center, Attn: Staci Owen, 724 4th St., Pleasant Grove, AL 35127.