Dorothy Patterson, 93, of Glen Mills, PA and formerly of Wilmington, DE passed away on April 4th, 2022. She was much loved and will be sorely missed. Dorothy was born in 1928 in Emigsville, PA to the late Ellis and Rose Fink. She and her family (parents and 3 siblings) eventually moved down the road to York, PA. There in high school, she met Richard Patterson. They fell in love and got married in 1950.
Dorothy raised 3 boys. And after stops in Schenectady, NY and Aiken, SC, Dot and Dick settled down in Wilmington in 1963. She became a very active member of the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd; involved in everything from quilting for the homeless and coordinating housing for refugees, to hosting bible study coffee groups. In 1983, Dorothy was one of the founding members of the Delaware chapter of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In 1998, she was honored by the Governor of Delaware for her unyielding commitment to helping bring awareness to those suffering with mental health issues. It was her life’s calling.
Dorothy loved life. Especially traveling and vacations with friends. She was an avid gardener, hated to cook (4 boys after all), hated losing, no matter what the game, and had a delicious sense of humor.
Dot and Dick lived in their beautiful colonial for almost 45 years and then moved to Maris Grove in Glen Mills, where she lived the rest of her life.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 65 years, Richard and by her son Scott. She is survived by her children, Ross (Elissa), Brian (Mary Ann). Grandchildren, Brock, Shea, Jenna, Rachel and Mercer. Great Grandchildren, Keira, Bryce, Corban, Taryn, Brady and Colin. A visitation will be held on Tuesday April 26th from 11am-12pm with a celebration of Dorothy’s life at 12pm at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard, 1530 Foulk Rd. Wilmington 19803. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to NAMI, 2400 W 4th St. Wilmington, DE 19805-3306 or www.namidelaware.org.
