Mary Alice Crabill Patterson

Mary passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by her family and tender care of Joey Manning, and Hospice of Siouxland, November 11, 2016. Mary was born to Jacob and Mary Emmaline Crabill, February 8, 1927, in Council Bluffs, IA. Her character and humanity were spawned by reading library books during the Great Depression, developing an avid adult appreciation of science and crime fiction: Asimov, Bradbury, Vonnegut, Christie, Henning Mankell & Kerri Greenwood. Her rich operatic alto voice and commanding stage presence led her to theatrical roles varying from the father of Hansel and Gretel, Lady Katisha of the Mikado, Charlotte Bronte of Moor Born; singing solos and duets, often with her husband Perry, in many settings throughout her sharing life, including among her friends at All Souls Church, and to sharing Sioux Falls swim meet announcing with Perry, when she wasnt back in the guardroom typing up results! Dr. Patterson earned her PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder; MA, University of Nebraska, Lincoln and BA, University of Sioux Falls. Mary taught Speech and Communications at the University of Sioux Falls, University of South Dakota, and Augustana College. She served in the South Dakota House of Representatives; served as Treasurer and also Chair of Democratic Forum Minnehaha County; Diversity Chair, Sioux Falls American Association of University Women; and Member of Sioux Falls Toast Mistresses, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Community Race Concerns Task Force, and American Speech/Language/Hearing Association. Mary served as South Dakotas lone on-call representative for American Civil Liberties Union. Mary owned Patterson Speech and Language Services in Sioux Falls for three decades. Her first such work was with children in the Cerebral Palsy and Polio Units at Orthopedic Hospital, Lincoln, NE in 1951. She retired as Chief Speech Pathologist, Royal C. Johnson VA Hospital, in 1992. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, siblings Lina Anderson and Don Taylor, daughter-in-law Julie Merdink Patterson, and her beloved husband Perry. She is survived by her sons Charles Jacob and Daniel Alexander and his wife Eleanor May-Patterson; and her four grandchildren, Angela Robinson, John Patterson, Seth May-Patterson and Claire May-Patterson. Mary was an optimistic, loving, full-time wife, mother, grandmother and neighborhood mom, participating actively with school, church, performing arts and sporting events of each of her loved ones. There will be no service. Condolences can be directed to ChapelHillFuneralHome.com. In lieu of gifts or cards, the Drs. Mary and Perry Patterson Fund is established at every Wells Fargo Branch, based at 2015 South Saint Aubin, Sioux City, IA 51106, account #6329085721. The fund has and will continue to sponsor fine arts programs for Sioux City youth.