Thomas Patterson

Thomas Hunt Patterson (86) left this life on March 6, 2026 with family at his side. Born on September 28, 1939 to Murray (Pat) and Elizabeth (Betty) Patterson, Tom attended Saint Paul Academy, Dartmouth College, and the University of Colorado Law School. He was a dedicated attorney, trust officer at First Trust and Resource Trust, and community volunteer, serving on the boards of YMCA Camp Widjiwagan, Saint Paul Academy and Summit School, and the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, among others. He was a highly effective and loyal fund raiser.

Tom was remarkably active, skiing 30 to 40 days a winter in Colorado, playing 18 holes of golf or a couple of hours of pickleball, and cycling 40 or 50 miles well into his 80s. He was an avid wilderness traveler, taking Arctic canoe trips in his 50s. He was an organizer and leader, achieving the title Commissioner for Life in Perpetuity from his Somerset pickleball group.

For Tom, family was everything. He and Sally Davis started dating at age 14 and quickly became inseparable. They have been best friends for 72 years and married for 65. Their relationship is a model to which many of us aspire. Tom always said his greatest accomplishment in life was raising their two sons Ned and John. He adored his daughters-in-law Susan Schloff and Julie Sonier and embraced them as the daughters he never had. For 30 years, his grandchildren Sela, Kevin, and Tom were his priority. If there was a swim meet, baseball game, concert, or any of their other activities, he was always there. Just four years ago, at age 82, he hiked the headwall at Jackson Hole to ski Casper Bowl with Kevin. As his grandson Tom said in his last conversation with his grandfather, "You couldn't ask for a better grandfather." During his battle with cancer, daily photos and videos from Sela of his great-grand-daughters Wren and Harper were the best possible therapy. Tom loved seeing his family grow with the marriage of Sela to Nick Poplin. He had hoped to attend Kevin's wedding with Kate Brown this coming August. He also loved seeing the relationship between Tom and his girlfriend Marlee Baron grow from high school through college and beyond.

Tom was blessed with an adoring extended family and a large circle of devoted friends. Several of his nieces and nephews had turned to him for comfort, counsel, and advice over the years. He had been a stable, dependable constant in everyone's lives. Many of Tom's closest friendships extended back to high school and earlier, but he also created new ones. For the last several years, his warm-weather months were dominated by Saturday morning bicycle rides and lunch at the Longfellow Grill with one group and week-day morning pickleball games with another. For the last year, Tom knew that his time with us was soon ending, and he cherished the opportunity to connect and have closure with family and friends. Tom lived a blessed life and will be greatly missed by many.

Tom was preceded in death by his mother and father, his brother Jim Patterson and his wife Shirley, and his sister Betsy Sands and her husband Tim.

The family is planning a celebration of life that will occur later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Neighborhood House in St. Paul, which provides a welcoming support for refugees, immigrants, and others in transition or crisis.