It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Steve
Patterson, of Middlesex, on November 6, 2023. Steve died peacefully,
with his wife, Sally, by his side. He was 76 years old.
Steve’s life was a
beacon of goodness, kindness and bravery to all who loved him. He
possessed a keen intelligence, a wry sense of humor, and an
understanding heart. If you were lucky enough to be in the light of
Steve’s love, you were well cared for, indeed.
Born on October 5,
1947, to Alice and Harold Patterson of Middlesex, Steve was a
lifelong Vermonter, a product of deep, proud Irish roots on his
father’s side in Middlesex, and the strong resiliency of his
French-Canadian grandparents — who were early 20th-Century
immigrants to Barre’s granite industry jobs — on his mother’s
side.
Steve’s love for
his home state knew no bounds. Since his Middlesex boyhood, his
passion for the traditions of fly-fishing, and, later, deer hunting
brought him great joy throughout his life. Steve loved being quiet
and observant in the outdoors. The natural environment was his
religion.
Of paramount
importance in his life, though, was family. Steve was fiercely
committed to and protective of his family all his life. Honoring his
mother, Alice, and stepfather, Howard Walbridge, as they lived
together into old age was his privilege and his life commitment as a
loving and dependable son. Being a younger brother to his beloved
sister Sally gave him a special sense of security throughout their
upbringing together by a strong single mother, especially after their
father Harold’s and baby sister Linda’s premature deaths when
Steve was five years old.
Steve discovered the
joys of fatherhood after marrying his first wife and lifelong friend,
Brenda Bean. Through their years of marriage and beyond their
parting, they co-parented beloved daughter, Sarah Patterson,
together. Steve’s pride in Sarah and her life accomplishments over
the years never waned.
Steve took great
pride in his 33 years of sobriety, beginning in 1992. At that time,
Steve began to live his life anew with confidence, a clear mind and a
more open heart. Two years after this fresh start, he met coworker,
Sally Cavanagh. Steve and Sally’s long friendship deepened into
love, and they married in 2005, beginning the longest, most joyful
and fulfilling partnership and family chapter in his life.
Steve’s long
career was primarily a mix of journalism, Democratic politics and
Vermont State government. While straight out of Montpelier High
School, Steve obtained a journalism degree from Becker College in
Massachusetts and was editor of the college literary magazine while
there. He then spent six years as a Rutland Herald and
Times-Argus news reporter, covering government at the local
and then at the state level as a member of the Vermont Press Bureau.
He also worked for a time as a correspondent for the Boston Globe.
During a period of
self-employment, Steve directed a state environmental awareness
project and worked in public relations for governor Tom Salmon’s
1974 re-election campaign. Entering state government for a time, he
brought his media affairs expertise to his work as consumer affairs
chief for the Vermont Department of Banking & Insurance. While on
leave from state government, Steve managed Jim Guest’s successful
1976 Vermont secretary of state campaign. He returned to state
government for the next several years as a special assistant attorney
general and managed press relations for Vermont attorney general
Jerome Diamond’s office.
Steve left state
government for a period of years and worked in the private sector in
media and public relations management positions for International
Coins & Currency, Vermont Castings and the Barre Granite
Association.
In 1987, Steve found
his way back to what became his longest period of employment in state
government at the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community
Development. Over a period of 16 years, Steve’s responsibility
steadily increased within the state agency, and he had oversight of
economic development, housing and community affairs, tourism and
marketing, historic preservation, and Vermont Life Magazine.
He went from being responsible for all aspects of public and media
relations to a post as executive director of the Vermont Economic
Progress Council, to deputy secretary and, eventually, to secretary
of the agency during the administration of governor Howard Dean.
In 2003, Steve was
hired as executive director of the Northeastern Vermont Development
Association (NVDA), a post he excelled in for the last 10 years of
his career. It was in this position that Steve found perhaps his
greatest career fulfillment, nimbly weaving together all his many
contacts made over his years in media, politics, and government to
assemble an impressive array of state and federal planning and
development resources on behalf of Vermont’s most rural region —
the Northeast Kingdom. He immersed himself in the region he so loved
and is widely credited with having been the driving force behind the
siting of the statewide Vermont Food Venture Center in Hardwick —
his proudest professional achievement.
At the end of his
life, Steve had no doubt that his proudest personal achievement was
the beloved home he and Sally made on property that had been in her
family since 1960, across the brook from the one-room schoolhouse
where Steve attended school in his earliest years. Steve always felt
he truly had come home, and, together, he and Sally created a setting
of beauty and comfort, where family and friends could join them over
the years in sharing lots of laughter and creating fond memories. For
those closest to him, he was always there to lend a non-judgmental
ear, a helping hand, a word of encouragement, a heartfelt shared
laugh or tear. Steve loved to laugh and make others laugh, and he was
so good at it!
Steve and Sally felt
fortunate and blessed that he was able to come home for over a month
before he was readmitted to the hospital for the final time. He took
great pleasure in celebrating his 76th birthday at home during this
time — outdoors on a warm, brilliant Vermont fall day, with many
family members and friends in attendance.
Perhaps Steve’s
greatest gift to those who loved him was his lived example as an
unpretentious, kindhearted common man. Steve’s life was one of
treating others the way he would want to be treated. This honesty and
integrity endeared him to, and earned him the trust and respect of,
countless people from all walks of life.
Steve was
predeceased by his father, Harold Patterson; his mother, Alice
Patterson Walbridge; stepfather, Howard Walbridge; sisters, Sally
Howard and Linda Patterson; and stepbrother, Robin Walbridge.
He leaves behind his
wife, Sally Cavanagh Patterson; his daughter, Sarah Patterson;
stepchildren, Katy Stohlberg and Matthew Stohlberg, and Matthew’s
wife, Sarah Shimizu. He also leaves behind the one occupying a
special place in his heart always — grandchild Baker Beauchamp, who
evoked in Steve during his last 15 years some of the tenderest
emotions he had discovered in life as a proud and protective
grandfather.
In addition, Steve
is survived by his sister Sally’s husband of many years, Greg
Howard; Sally and Greg’s children, Chris and Nancy, and their
families; and Greg’s wife, Susan. Wife Sally’s four Cavanagh
sisters and their husbands, children and grandchildren also survive:
Susan Martello, Alice and John Spinello, Amy Cavanagh and Ted
Grossman, and Judy and Ben Whitney. Steve’s first wife, Brenda
Bean, survives, as does his wife of several years in the late 1980s,
Mary Whitcomb, and her children, Dale and Kevin. Steve leaves behind
many beloved cousins and friends. He will be forever loved and
missed.
There are many
family members and friends who provided help and support during
Steve’s long illness, and deep gratitude is offered here. His
family also wishes to thank the skilled and dedicated staff at the
University of Vermont McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester who
provided comfort and compassionate care to Steve in his final days.
A celebration of
Steve’s life will be held on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at 2 p.m.
at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, located at 130 Main St., with
a reception immediately following.
This article appears in The Winter Preview Issue 2023.