Obituary of Howard Alexander Patterson Jr.

Howard Alexander Patterson Jr., a 55-year resident of New Canaan, Darien and Norwalk, Conn, died early Wednesday morning, September 30, at Norwalk Hospital. He was 80. Howard was born in New York City on May 17, 1935 to Dr. Howard A. Sr. and Sarah Elizabeth (Robertson) Patterson. He was educated at the Kent School, Kent, Conn. which inducted him into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003; Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. in the Class of 1957 Cum Laude Phi Beta Kappa; and graduated in 1960 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelor of Architecture, Tau Beta Pi. He enjoyed a long career as a professional architect, first as a partner in the architectural firm of SMS Architects, in New Canaan. In 1972, he founded Patterson Architects, Inc. in Darien, Conn, which has since been renamed PB Architects and remains based in Darien. His firm completed hundreds of residential and commercial projects throughout New England and the New York Metropolitan area, as well as Quebec, Canada, California, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Mr. Patterson's projects have been published in many national architectural magazines and the New York Times. In addition to working in private practice, Howard was involved in many professional activities in the state of Connecticut and New England, including: Chairman of the AIA New England Design Honor Awards Program; Panel of Arbitrators, American Arbitration Association; Chairman of the AIA Connecticut Design Honor Awards Program; Director, AIA Connecticut; President, AIA Connecticut. Howard's athletic accomplishments included lettering in 3 varsity sports including soccer, hockey, and tennis both at Kent School and Williams College. He will be remembered as a fierce competitor on the tennis and paddle tennis courts from his years at Middlesex Club and Woodway Country Club. He was particularly proud of his two other sports-related achievements. In Darien he was influential in pioneering the development of the Darien Youth Hockey Association in the late 1960's, and coached many teams at all levels well into the 1980's winning numerous league championships. He remained a loyal fan of platform tennis in his later years and served for ten years on the Platform Tennis Museum and Hall of Fame foundation as a trustee. In addition to his love of Connecticut, Howard spent many joyous summers up at his family's retreat, Big Wolf Lake in the Adirondacks. Howard was pre-deceased by his son, Howard Scott and his brother, Dr. Andrew H. Patterson. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Susan, of West Norwalk, CT, his sister and brother-in-law Dr. and Mrs. William S. Lancaster of Cobleskill, NY, sister-in-law Patricia Patterson of Dataw Island, South Carolina, and three children: Sarah and her husband Robert Beltran of Stamford; Susan and her husband Geoffrey Mullen of Fairfield; and Stephen and his wife Susan of Norwalk. Also by five grandchildren: Alexander and Eleanor Beltran of Stamford, and Anna, Laura and Peter Mullen of Fairfield. A memorial service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Darien at 2pm Friday October 9, followed by a reception at Woodway Country Club. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 1864 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820 or to the Darien Youth Hockey Association, P.O. Box 97, c/o Treasurer, Darien, CT 06820.www.lawrencefuneralhome.com Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820