William "Bill" B. Patterson Jr.

William Burrell Patterson, Jr. (Bill) died at UNC Hospital August 30, 2020, after a 20-year battle with leukemia. His wife Julie Anne Patterson, sons William Gerald and Christopher Kershaw Patterson, and stepdaughter Anna Leigh Fischer, were at his side.

Bill was born to the late William Burrell Patterson, Sr. and Betty Shannon Patterson in Columbia, South Carolina on February 8, 1947. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and Irvington, New York. Bill attended Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia, and served in the United States Navy as a Radioman 3rd Class aboard the USS Sandoval from September 1966 until September 1968.

Bill had a passion for amateur radio, music, public safety, and aircraft. As a teenager he practiced his “radio voice” and worked as a disc jockey in Charlotte at WIST before he was old enough to drive a car. Bill began his law enforcement career in Charlotte as part of the Reserve Officer Program, eventually becoming a full-time law enforcement officer. During his career in law enforcement, Bill attended the FBI National Academy, graduating in the 149th Class. Bill retired as the Deputy Director of Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) in 2000. He then served as a lieutenant in the Chapel Hill Police Department’s Reserve Officer Program. He was also active in the North Carolina Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). When his sons, Will and Chris, joined the Durham Highway Fire Department (DHFD), Bill continued his passion for public safety and became a volunteer firefighter to serve with his sons. Bill’s profound impact at DHFD was not only felt in the community with his service as a member and former Board of Director’s President, but as a friend and mentor to so many within DHFD.

After his retirement Bill continued to support law enforcement efforts as a training and technical assistance consultant for the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center which was managed by the Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation (PIRE). It was while he was working for PIRE that Bill and Julie met. In 2009, they had their first date at Napoli’s in Grapevine, Texas. What began as a friendship of mutual respect became a love story which enveloped them for more than eleven years. Bill moved to Helena, Montana where he and Julie married on October 21, 2016. Together they camped, hiked, cycled the Hiawatha in Idaho, and were members of the St. Helena Catholic Cathedral where Bill and Julie sang in the Cathedral Choir. Bill introduced Julie to amateur radio; he was a lifetime member of the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA), and he spent ten years in Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS).They were members of the Capital City Amateur Radio Club until they returned to North Carolina for Bill to receive medical care.

Bill is survived by his wife Julie, sons Will and Chris, stepchildren Patrick, Anna, and Preston Fischer, his mother Betty Patterson, siblings, Jane (Tommy) Suggs, Ann (Steve) Rhyne, and John (Melinda) Patterson and nieces and nephews who loved to hear Bill’s humorous tales.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will take place when the Coronavirus restrictions are lifted, and friends and family can gather safely. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the State Employee Credit Union Family House in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This memorial page will be updated with service information once known.

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