Ms. Zadie Bell Patterson

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints” Psalms 116:15

A loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, Zadie Bell Patterson was born on February 10, 1920 in Chidester, Arkansas. She was the sixth of thirteen children born to Sarah and Julius Hinton.

She attended High School in Camden, Arkansas, and it was there that she met and fell in love with Ferdie Patterson. They were married on August 26, 1939. After the birth of their second child the young family decided to relocate to California and moved to Oakland. While in Oakland the family grew to six children and in 1951 they purchased their first home in Richmond, California.

When their youngest child was 10 years old they were surprised to welcome a seventh child to their family in 1960. Zadie was a full-time wife and mother, and family was always her first priority. She was a wonderful cook and loved preparing large family dinners. She was an avid gardener and always had plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables for her large family.

Zadie was the daughter of a minister and was baptized at an early age. She was always active in the Baptist Church and after moving to Richmond she joined St. John Missionary Baptist Church. At St. John she was an active member of Sarah’s Circle and volunteered weekly at the soup kitchen.

After her youngest child started Junior High School, Zadie began seasonal work at Del Monte Cannery in Emeryville and worked every summer canning season until she retired at age 65. After raising her children Zadie provided childcare to many of her grandchildren, who lovingly called her “ Granny”.

Zadie was preceded in death by her parents Julius and Sarah Hinton, her husband of over 60 years Ferdie Patterson, all twelve of her siblings, and her youngest son, Larry Patterson.

Zadie leaves to cherish her memory six children, Frederick Patterson of Richmond, CA, Joyce Clark of Sacramento, CA, Marvin Patterson of Hayward, CA, Christene Brown of Flint, MI, Sharon Jackson of Vancouver, WA, and Terry Bradley (Robert) of Sacramento, CA; Sixteen grandchildren, Twenty-nine great-grandchildren, seven great-great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.