Sawmill pioneer dies at 95
Eugene Patterson was a war hero, sawmiller and longtime resident of Hay River
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, November 23, 2015
HAY RIVER
A longtime resident of Hay River, Eugene Patterson - an American war hero who became a sawmiller in the North - has passed away.
Eugene Patterson, a longtime resident of Hay River served his native country as a soldier in the American Army during the Second World War. - photo courtesy of the Patterson family |
Patterson died on Oct. 26 at 95 years of age.
Born in Oregon, he was a dairy farmer in California before reading a newspaper article about land available in the Hay River area. He travelled North in 1962 and then moved permanently in 1963 with his wife and two children.
"We read about it and we decided we'd take a look," said Betty Ann Patterson, who was his wife of 67 years.
They even brought their cows with them.
However, they only operated a dairy farm for a while.
"By 1968, we were in the lumber business," recalled his daughter, Sandra Patterson Lester.
In a 2011 interview with News/North, Eugene Patterson recalled starting the sawmill.
"It was just a good opportunity," he was quoted as saying.
And sawmilling has been good for the family - Patterson Sawmill is still in operation and now run by Eugene Patterson's son, Daniel.
Betty Ann Patterson was asked why she and her husband settled in Hay River.
"It's home and the people here are great. That's about what he would say," she said. "We made good friends."
Patterson Lester said her father was active in the business until ill health forced him out of the bush.
"He never really retired but when he was 89 he had some heart trouble. He didn't feel well," she said, adding that he still went out in the bush until he was about 91.
She explained that, at about that time, her father had a series of heart attacks and his health deteriorated rapidly and he passed away from heart failure at H.H. Williams Memorial Hospital in Hay River.
"But he passed away very peacefully," said his daughter.
Mayor Brad Mapes praised the contribution that Eugene Patterson made to Hay River, saying he was one of the most unique people in the community.
"He was a great visionary in business," said the mayor, describing Patterson as somebody who was very interesting to talk to and an amazing person.
As a young man, Patterson fought in the Second World War as a soldier in the U.S. Army.
"He was proud of it," said Betty Ann Patterson. "But about the war itself, he spoke very little of it."
Patterson Lester said her father started to talk about his war experiences a little more in the last few years.
"But we always felt the minute the war was over and he got back to his real life, he probably just didn't want to remember it," she said.
In a 2003 interview with News/North, Patterson talked about the nine medals he was awarded as a soldier, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart, which is presented to American soldiers wounded in action.
The citation for the Silver Star says it was awarded to Patterson for "gallantry in action" near Ottendorf, Germany, on April 15, 1945.
Although he was never told exactly why he received the medal, he believed it was for when a member of his squad got hit by a percussion grenade. As his comrade lay stunned in a road, Patterson kept firing on nearby foxholes and pulled the soldier back to safety.
"When somebody is shooting at you, you don't have no problem," he told News/North of having to fight during a battle. "I never shot anybody for the pleasure of it."
Patterson was wounded just outside the Belgian town of Bastogne on Jan. 2, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge.
"I received shrapnel in the back, arms, you name it," he told News/North in 2003. "I was doing the brave thing at the time. I was trying to hide behind a tree and a mortar shell hit the tree above me."
Among his medals, Patterson received a Bronze Star, which is awarded for being an overall good soldier.
"Some guys in the army are scared to death when they're there," he said in the earlier interview. "Some guys are not. Anybody who isn't scared is an idiot."
Patterson Lester recalled her father, who became a Canadian citizen in 1972, as a man who never raised his voice and never really got angry, and as a calm and even-tempered person who was generous with his children and grandchildren.
"All he thought about was work and family," she said, adding her father also had the sense of being a pioneer in Hay River.
Patterson Lester also recalled her father, who never smoked or drank, as a great jokester who was always telling tall tales.
She described him as a person with an active mind, who was always looking for the next opportunity.
"His mind was always moving forward," she said. "Not only was he a good person but he was a person that wanted to be productive at all costs."
A celebration of Eugene Patterson's life was scheduled to take place at the Royal Canadian Legion in Hay River on Nov. 21.
