Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008, Pegi lost her battle with ocular metastatic melanoma (a 6-in-1-million type of cancer).

Born Helen Margaret Winter on May 13, 1941, Pegi grew up in the farming community of Ontario, Ore. She graduated from Nyssa High School in 1959.

She went to nursing school at the Good Samaritan School of Nursing in Portland, Ore.

She was in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and was a first lieutenant. “Pegi” married Kenneth D. Patterson Jr. in 1965. They had two children, Susan, in 1966, and Matthew, in 1971.

She was a registered nurse at the Hood River Memorial Hospital for many years before moving to Eugene and becoming an ICU R.N. at Eugene’s Sacred Heart Hospital for 18-plus years.

She lived in Portland, Hood River and Eugene before eventually moving to Redmond, Ore., in 2004.

In Redmond, she commuted to Bend’s St. Charles Hospital CCU and worked her final two years of her nursing career before retiring at the age of 65.

But before long she was diagnosed with ocular metastatic melanoma, and lost her battle on Jan. 27, 2008.

She is survived by her daughter, Susan Schuch, 41, of Redmond, Ore., and her son, Matthew Patterson, 36, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and three grandchildren: Lexi, 11, Nicole, 3, and Amanda, 2.

She was a great mother and grandmother and took tremendous pride in her 40-year nursing career.

Anyone who knew Pegi, loved her. You will be sorely missed by all the people you have touched. Anyone can visit her memorial Web site at: www.PegiPatterson.com.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 19, at Sacred Heart Hospital Auditorium in Eugene, Ore., from 4:30-6 p.m.

A gathering after the memorial is planned to be held at the Oregon Electric Station for those who would like to mingle and visit with our family. We’d love to see you there if you can’t make the service.