This website was created by friends of the Patterson family: Jim, Virg, Kyle and Meghan, with the hopes that they may find comfort through it.  Though we may not be able to take your pain away, know our love, support and prayers are with you always.  Nick made the biggest sacrifice for all of us.  We are forever in his debt.

Sorry it's been so long since I have updated this web page, no excuse, just pure laziness! :) Anyway, I want everybody to know how much we appreciate all who comes here and lights a candle or just looks. It means alot to Jim and I that you still think of Nick. I know we sure do, all the time, every day, and thank you to everybody who helped or donated this year to the 4th Annual Nick Patterson Memorial Golf Outing!  Without all of you, the Golf Outing wouldn't be the great success that it is!!

There isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss our son....our baby..he will

~ forever ~

be a part of our lives and nothing or nobody will ever take that from us......ever...

 Nick.. we love you...

and p.s.

If anybody sees Reilley, tell him me and grandpa miss him very much and one day we will see him... 

This portrait was done by Michael G. Reagan, he is an internationally-recognized portrait artist.  Please follow the links below and you can read about him and his work that he does for fallen soldiers families and for charity events. He also accepts donations if you would like to donate. Any donations, no matter how much, helps support the      Fallen Hero Portrait Project.
Thanks again, Michael ! 

Love, Jim and Virg Patterson

http://www.fallenheroesproject.org/home.htm

http://www.michaelgreaganartist.com/home.htm

Sgt. Nick Patterson's second tour of duty in Iraq was nearly done.  It was supposed to be over on Veterans Day, November 11.  But his 5-ton truck veered off a highway ramp and fell 40 feet.  Seven soldiers and two detainees they had bagged that night died.  Eleven soldiers were injured.  The truck hit cement debris in the road, which caused the truck to lose control and go over the side of the overpass.

Killed were:

Staff Sergeant Yance T. Gray, 26, of Ismay, Montana
Staff Sergeant Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands
Sergeant Michael C. Hardegree, 21, of Villa Rica, Georgia
Sergeamt Omar L. Mora, 28, of Texas City, Texas
Sergeant Nicholas J. Patterson, 24, of Rochester, Indiana
Specialist Ari D. Brown-Weeks, 23, of Abingdon, Maryland
Specialist Steven R. Elrod, 20, of Hope Mills, North Carolina

Sgt. Nicholas "Nick" Patterson joined the Army on May 18, 2004.  After basic training, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served with 3505th Parachute Infantry Battalion and 1-73 Cavalry as a scout in support of Hurricane Katrina an deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Jayme, Reilley and Nick on their wedding day, December 27, 2006

He had been married just shy of nine months. When he was called away to war for the second time, he quickly married his high school sweetheart, Jayme Saner.  On January 4, 2007 he deployed again to Iraq.  They shared a son, whom Nick adored, Reilley Caden Patterson.  

He and his father, Jim Patterson, shared their love of the Chicago Cubs, Indianapolis Colts, Indiana University basketball and fishing in Nyona Lake.



Nick is survived by his wife, Jayme (Saner) Patterson and his son, Reilley, both of Akron, IN; his father and stepmother James and Virginia Patterson, Rochester, IN; his mother and stepfather Jane and Scott Holmes of Warsaw; a stepbrother and his wife, Kyle and Meghan McLochlin, Rochester, IN; and a sister and neice, Tai and Taya Johnson of Mishawaka, IN.

Also surviving are his "brothers" of 1-325 C-Troop with whom he took great pride in serving next to.

This is a poem written by a woman that lives in Scotland and works in Ireland..she is a wonderful lady..her name is May Beckest...thank you May for your heartwarming poem.....


Nicholas J. Patterson

We little knew that morning God was going to call your name
In life we loved you dearly, in death we do the same
It broke our hearts to lose you, you did not go alone
For part of us went with you, the day God called you home

The sun set for you as normal on that fateful morn
Only 24 short years since the day that you were born
God alone will decide what will be our fate and
In one tiny beat of a heart our tomorrows became yesterdays

Nick, now that God has taken you it seems we love you more
That bond of love will never die and your spirit will soar
When the Angels came down from heaven they took one of the best
For the short time we had you with us we were truly blessed

You left us beautiful memories, your love is still our guide
And although we cannot see you, you are always by our side
We thank you for the years you gave and the love we shared
For you live in our hearts forevermore until our dying day

When we walk down memory lane our cheeks are wet with tears
A million wonderful memories in twenty four short years
You are loved by so many Nick and real love never dies
We know we will always see you when we look in your baby’s eyes

If tears could build a stairway and heartache make a lane
We'd walk the path to Heaven and bring you back again
Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same
But as God calls us one by one, the chain will link again

We will always love you Nick

FromYour Family

Patrick and Nick         

 Patterson's awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal with two loops, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, and the Parachutist's Badge.

This is 4 Generations of Patterson's

Jim, Reilley, Nick, and Chuck