John Patten

John Nathan Patten, 78, of New Boston, Illinois, died Sunday, July 17, 2016, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, Bettendorf, Iowa, after an extended illness.

Cremation services having been accorded, a time of sharing for family and friends will be held at Bewley Funeral Home, Aledo, Illinois, on Saturday, September 24, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., with burial in Sleeper, Missouri. Memorials may be made in John's memory to the Erika Kate Hope Alliance, P.O. Box 262, Muscatine, Iowa 52761, or at ErikaKate.org. Online condolences may be left at www.bewleyfuneralhome.com

Fondly known as the "General," John was born on May 1, 1938, in Peoria, Illinois, the son of John Melvin and Dorothy Virginia (Thompson) Patten. He was educated in California schools and attended Torrance High School. Prior to his marriage to Janie on March 23, 1985, in Aledo, Illinois, he successfully raised and educated six children on one income, a formidable accomplishment.

John was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt and fish. He was a regular at the local bingo halls, and it was not unusual to find him on a dance floor. Retiring from Heinz in 1989, John spent much of his free time as a commercial gardener, participating in many of the area Farmers Markets.

Those left to cherish John's memory include his wife, Janie; sons Ralph, of Gladstone, Illinois, and James (Vickey), of Lancaster, California; daughter Debby Patten-Hoffman, of Valencia, California; stepdaughters Julie (Bill) Newman, of Davenport, Iowa, and Jeni (Matt) Ewing, of Seaton, Illinois; sister, Barbara Gilchrist, of Des Moines, Iowa; brother Stanley (Pam), of Texarkana, Texas; several grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins; and good friend and neighbor, Matt Davidson, of New Boston, Illinois, whose compassionate help and thoughtfulness throughout John's courageous battle were invaluable. John was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Dorothy Ann.