E. John Patten, Jr. entered the presence of his Lord on January 11, 2011 at 2:15 p.m.
John was born in Moultrie, Georgia, on July 5, 1937. He was a son of Ernest and Lilla Sutton Patten, of Ocilla, Ga., where he attended and graduated from high school.
John is survived by his devoted wife of 51 ½ years, Vivian Gentry Patten of Fitzgerald, and his constant companion "Tara".
John was a Godly man sharing his faith through Beech Haven Baptist Church and the Glory Sunday School Class. He was an active member of the Beech Haven's Christian Sportsmen Ministry.
He is also survived by brother David S. Patten (Karen), two nieces, Amy Bishop (Dan) and Elizabeth Bitter (Willy) and five great nephews, one of which is his namesake. He is also survived by his very special and loving “adopted” granddaughter, Kristen Marie Johansen and her family Eric and Karen Johansen. He is survived by his “adopted” daughter, Tonia Gordon. Other survivors include sister-in-law, Sarah Gentry; brothers-in-law, Neil Gentry and nieces Shana Thomas (Richard), Shawn Gentry and their children as well as Buddy Gentry (Jane) and son, David.
John was a Life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, an endowment member of the National Rifle Association. He was also a member of the American Saddlebred Horse Association and the American Saddlebred Museum.
John is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Civil Engineering. While a student at Ga. Tech he worked with The Georgia Railroad and helped to design and lay out the railroad track around Stone Mountain. Upon graduation in 1962, he began a career with USDA, Soil Conservation Service (now known as NRCS) from which he retired as State Design Engineer after 30 years of service. John was the designer of the first roller compacted concrete dam structure in the Southeast. This structure is a water supply source for Banks County. He then became a dams specialist with Schnabel Engineering Associates serving as a constultant. He served on the National Dams Safety Committee and was instrumental in the developing of a computer program known as the “Sites Program” that is utilized throughout the nation by engineers involved in the design of dams. He was much sought after by engineering firms as a consultant on dams after his retirement from SCS.
A Celebration of John’s life will be conducted by Dr. Stewart B. Simms at Beech Haven Baptist Church on Friday, January 14 at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be at Beech Haven Fellowship Hall from 12:30 until time of service.
Interment will be conducted by Rev. John Walker on Saturday, January 15 at Brushy Creek Church Cemetery in Irwin County, Ga. at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will be at Paulk Funeral Home in Ocilla, Ga, from 12:30 until 1:30.
Pallbearers will be Richard Wallahora, Jerry Stapleton, Don Rhodes, Dan McGill, Eric Johansen, Weyman Mobley, Ray Mann and Kice Stone. Honorary Pallbearers will be the Glory Sunday School Class and the Beech Haven’s Christian Sportsmen Ministry.
Family is accecpting flowers. However, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Georgia Tech Foundation, Inc., 760 Spring St. NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308 with notation for E. John Patten, Jr. & Vivian G. Patten Scholarship Fund.