Biography:

Dr. Thomas Dermot Patterson was born in London, Ontario on the 30th of December, 1926.  Dr. Patterson was the youngest of 3 children born to Thomas Dorrington Patterson and the former Grace Turnbull. His siblings were; Betty (Patterson) Keeley, who married Dr. Charles Douglas Keeley and Ian Patterson. Dr. Patterson was educated in London, Ontario and also at Albert College in Belleville.

Dr. Patterson attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 1953. His postgraduate education consisted of a Junior Internship at Victoria Hospital, London 1953-54, followed by Pathology residencies at Lynn Hospital, Lynn, Massachusetts 1954-55, Victoria Hospital 1955-56, Memorial/Sloan Kettering Hospital, New York City 1956-57 and Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit Michigan, 1957-58. Dr. Patterson attained his specialist certification in Pathology in 1962.

From 1958 to 1973, Dr. Patterson was Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Services at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chatham. Dr Patterson worked as a pathologist at the Stratford General Hospital from 1973-1975 returning to Chatham in 1975. He was Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Services at the Public General Hospital from 1975 until his retirement in 1988.

Dr. Patterson married Joan Elizabeth Rogers in June of 1956 in Waterloo, Ontario. Mrs. Patterson was born on the 21st of July, 1930.  She was the daughter of Hugh Rogers and the former Pauline Harper and she had a brother named Paul Rogers.  According to the 1931 censes, the Patterson family resided at 247 Mary Street in Waterloo.  Her father worked in a Customs Office as a cashier.  Mrs. Patterson graduated from Victoria Hospital, London in 1952 as a Registered Nurse.  She obtained her B.ScN from the University of Windsor in 1964 and her M.ScN degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1971.  She was the Director of Hospital Wide Education at Public General Hospital from 1975 to 1983, Director Nursing Services from 1983 to 1987 and Assistant Executive Director of Nursing Services from 1987 to 1994. Mrs. Patterson was a Surveyor with the Canadian Council of Health Services Accreditation from 1993 to 1998.

Dr. and Mrs. Patterson were the parents of 3 children; Jeffrey Thomas Patterson, Susan Elizabeth Patterson and Sarah Joan (Patterson) Gilbert.

Dr. Patterson was an avid birdwatcher, an accomplished woodworker and he enjoyed reading and classical music. Dr. and Mrs. Patterson owned a farm in St. Marys, Ontario from 1973 to 1983 and enjoyed spending time there with their family and friends.

Dr. Patterson died on the 23rd of April, 1993.  He was survived by his wife Joan, his children and grandchildren Kevin, Collin and Ryan Patterson, Jakob and Haley Gilbert and Elliott and Gemma Holland.

Mrs. Patterson died in Chatham on the 5th of October, 2019.

*Dr. Charles Douglas Keeley is also featured on the Chatham-Kent Physician Tribute website.