Phyllis Ann (O'Brien) Patterson

Phyllis Ann O’Brien Patterson of Nampa, Idaho passed away Tuesday June 21, 2016 in a Nampa care facility from conditions related to old age. She had celebrated her 90th birthday in February with her family.

Phyllis Ann O’Brien was born in Sterling, Idaho on February 26, 1926 where she grew up on the family farm. She was the daughter of Patrick John O’Brien and Mary Margaret (Murphy) O’Brien. She was the second oldest of five surviving children.

She attended local schools, graduating from Aberdeen High School in 1944. Like many women of her generation, World War II provided an unexpected career opportunity. At her father’s urging, she applied for a job as an operator/telegrapher with the Union Pacific Railroad. After completing the training program in Pocatello she was posted to a number of different locations, often on a temporary basis. These included some areas with great scenery, but short on amenities, such as Victor and Montpelier, Idaho, and Sage, Wyoming. While she only worked for the Union Pacific Railroad for three years, she often said they were some of the best years of her life. She established friendships with people she worked with that lasted a life time.

She met her future husband E.F. ‘John’ Patterson, while working for the railroad. At that time, John was a fireman and later an engineer. They were married in Pocatello, Idaho on December 21, 1947. They made their home in Lima, Montana, a railroad terminal between Pocatello, Idaho and Butte, Montana until 1965 when the family moved to Rupert, Idaho. The couple’s seven children were all born while the family lived in Lima.

Phyllis was a stay-at-home mom while the family lived in Lima, devoting her time and energy to raising her seven children. She was active in the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, helping with fund raising events and participating in their social activities. She was active in the local Catholic Parish, helping to clean the church, wash and iron alter linens, and cooking breakfast for the priests from Dillon who drove to Lima to say Mass. After moving to Rupert she went to work at Magic Valley Foods potato processing plant and she worked there until she retired in 1991 after 25 years. The following year she and her husband moved to Meridian, Idaho to be closer to children and grandchildren who lived on that side of the state. She moved to Nampa in 2001 after the death of her husband in 1996.

Phyllis did not have hobbies per se. What she spent her time doing had to be practical. She did, however, enjoy sewing, crocheting, gardening, and baking cookies, cakes and pies. If there was a record in the Guinness Book for most cookies baked by one woman in a lifetime, she would definitely be a contender. She enjoyed sewing new clothes for her girls, while her boys kept her busy patching Levis and sewing on missing buttons. And if raising seven of her own children wasn’t enough, she readily tended her youngest grandchildren when needed. She was also devoted to her cats who provided her with entertainment and companionship later in life. She was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church.

She is survived by six of her seven children: Raymond Patterson of Dillon, Montana, Paul Patterson of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Vickie Hacking of Kuna, Idaho, Ron (Vicky) Patterson of Nampa, Idaho, Mike (Roswitha) Patterson of Nampa, Idaho, and Donna (Jim) Lowther of Meridian, Idaho; seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her oldest son (John), her parents, an older sister (Arlyn Coleman), two younger brothers (John and Vincent O’Brien) and a brother who died in infancy.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Streamside Assisted Living and Horizon Home Health and Hospice for their kind and considerate care.

A service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on July 1, 2016 at the Nampa Funeral Home Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Avenue South, Nampa, ID. There will be no graveside service. Her ashes will be interred at the cemetery in Lima, Montana along with those of her deceased husband at a later date. An online guest book is available at www.nampafuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to the Idaho Humane Society, 4775 Dorman Street, Boise, Idaho 83705, or to a favorite charity.

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