Mary E. Patterson

Mary Elizabeth Patterson, 77, a longtime Miami resident and business woman passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2016 in Joplin, Missouri. She was born in Miami on September 27, 1939 to Paul Lafayette and Susie Elizabeth (Trent) Rhodes. She married Earnie Patterson January 17, 1957. Mary began her working career in 1964 at Consolidated Industrial Equipment Company as a secretary and progressed to the position of Vice President and Assistant General Manager. After assisting with the 1982 closure of Consolidated she began a new career at Northeastern A&M College as a Staff Assistant for the Vice President of Fiscal Affairs which is the position she held until her 2009 retirement. Mary is preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Roger Rhodes and John Rhodes, and her sister Helen June Crownover. Mary is survived by her husband of almost sixty years, Earnie Patterson, her two daughters Teresa Patterson and her husband Nathan Stacy of Houston, Liz Patterson-Stidham and her husband Steve of Tulsa, granddaughter Sarah Stidham and her husband Chris Gonzales of Boston, Massachusetts, two sisters Emma Sue Thompson and her husband Harold of Miami, and Janie Rhodes of Miami. Mary is also survived by two sisters-in-laws, LaVeta Rhodes of Okmulgee and Rose Ann Rhodes of Miami, along with many other relatives and close friends. Mary was a giving person who readily accepted responsibility. This lifelong trait made her a true asset to friends, family and coworkers. She also enjoyed traveling with her sisters, searching for treasures at estate sales, reading, donating her money to the Miami casinos, and listening to the many attributes of her beloved granddaughter Sarah. Visitation is Wednesday, December 14, 2016 from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at Brown-Winters Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Miami. A Celebration of Life will take place on Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 10:00 AM at the Cooper Memorial Chapel at Brown-Winters Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Miami with Pastor Casey Hollingsworth officiating. Mr. Bryon Tunnel and Mr. Tom Poole will share memories of Mary. Interment will follow at the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery. Casket bearers will be Tom Poole, Jim Bayliss, Mark Grigsby, Nathan Horn, Jason Romero, and Braden Winters. Honorary casket bearers will be Harold Thompson, Robbie Livingston, Byron Tunnel, and Dennis "Buff" Highland. The family has asked that memorial contributions be made to Friends of the Coleman. Friends and family may send the family notes of encouragement by viewing Mary's Tribute Page at www.brown-winters.com.

Mary E. Patterson

September 27, 1939 - December 11, 2016