Earl B Patterson Jr.

Earl B. Patterson Jr was born July 4, 1923, in Boston, MA, to Dr. Earl B. Patterson and Maude Patterson.  He was the eldest of four children, Earl, Lois, Maude and Jean.  He married Sarah Patterson in June 1968 and began to reside in West Orange, NJ and Oak Bluffs, MA for the summers. Sarah predeceased Earl in 2014

Earl attended Seton Hall Prep and graduated from Seton Hall University. He was an athlete and excelled at football and track.  He held the school record for the hundred-yard dash for close to 30 years. Later on, he became an avid bowler which he did into his late eighties.  Earl served on the board of directors of the Boys Clubs of Newark.

He had a love of nature and the outdoors.  He enjoyed gardening and was always passing out figs and tomatoes to neighbors.  Earl also gave away fig tree cuttings that have produced fig bearing trees that grow from southern Florida to upstate New York.  He was also an animal lover and had many skills in dealing with both wild and domesticated animals. I witnessed him removing a baby rabbit from the house and returning it to the nearby woods.

Earl had a long career in construction as a concrete truck driver.  He was called in when there were difficult pouring situations. Earl poured many sections of the NJ Turnpike, Interstates 80 and 280, and the Meadowlands Sports complex. Some in the industry said that Earl could make concrete fly.  He was highly respected in the concrete trade.

Earl was also a very social person.  He was always offering a beverage to his visitors.  Stopping by the house on Martha’s Vineyard guaranteed you a great drink.  Earl was very generous with the spirits and a great cold beer.

Earl is survived by his sister Jean Downing, his stepchildren Joni and Henry Primas, Neil Brown, four grandchildren Omoleye Amuleru-Marshall, Jean Primas, Rachel Brown, and Sahara Seiter and two great grandchildren.  He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews

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