Diane C. Patterson's Obituary
In God’s providence, His wonderful servant, Diane Cooker Patterson, commenced her lifelong temporal journey of 78 years in Southern New Jersey on June 27, 1942. Following her hard-fought several-month battle with cancer, her kidneys would finally fail. Early Friday morning on August 14, 2020, Diane departed for the heavenly mansion that her Lord Jesus had prepared for her.
An only child of Harry Cooker and Jeannette VanCulin Cooker, Diane was nurtured in the Pedricktown Baptist Church and educated in the Penns Grove, NJ, school system. When a sophomore, she would meet her lifetime soulmate, Davis Patterson, who she married after graduation. Their union was blessed with one son, Richard, and two daughters, Sandee and Janis.
After her children all went off to school, she found employment as the first paid secretary of the historic Deerfield Presbyterian Church, then as a legal secretary in two local law offices, and finally as an administrative assistant to several vice presidents at Wheaton Industries in both the Millville and Mays Landing offices. She also served as the Stow Creek Township Clerk and in Downe Township.
Deeply mourning Diane’s loss while praising God for her lovingkindness to all who knew her include her devoted husband of six decades, Dave, one son, Richard D. Patterson, Sr. (Joanne) of Shiloh, and two daughters, Sandra L. Rodriguez (Domenic A.) of Upper Deerfield and Janis C. Morales of Tarpon Springs, FL. She was also blessed with six grandchildren: Rebecca A. Fricker (Travis) of San Diego, CA; Richard D. Patterson, Jr. (Sheli) of Ocean City, NJ; Jacob R. Morales (Jessica) of Stormville, NY; Emily A. DeFay ;Domenic P. Rodriguez (Kassaundra) of Pittsburgh, PA; and Joshua T. Rodriguez of Upper Deerfield, NJ.
A private committal to her final resting place will be held Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at Deerfield Presbyterian Church followed by an outdoor receiving line at the church building from 1:00-2:00 for all who wish to offer condolences. Masks and social distancing requested, please. Due to the limitations on the number of people legally allowed in the church, a private memorial and worship service will follow in the sanctuary at 2:00. Once the family has been seated, friends may join us in the remaining pews, as space allows. Thank you!
For friends and family unable to be present in the service, there will be a live stream via Zoom so that you can join us remotely. Contact the family to obtain more information.
In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for Cornerstone Women’s Resource Center, 567 Salem-Quinton Road, Salem, NJ 08079. Please put “In memory of Diane Patterson” in the memo of the check.
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