Mary Lynn Patton passed away on Feb. 23, 2015, after a long and vigorous struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. At the time of her death, she resided at Lake Prince Woods in Suffolk.

Mary was born Aug. 2, 1923, in Benham (Harlan County), Ky., daughter of the late Maynard Newman Huddleston and Chloe Powers Huddleston. She spent the first 40 years of her life in Southeastern Kentucky, where she graduated from Benham High School and later attended the University of Kentucky Southeast Center in Cumberland, Ky.

She married Bob Riley Patton Sr. on March 18, 1942. They lived in Cumbeland until 1962, when they moved to Fort Wayne, Ind. Mary worked for the Fort Wayne newspapers in an administrative position, retiring in 1988. The part of her job she enjoyed most was meeting new people.

Mary had a quirky sense of humor that made her very memorable. She truly cared for people and was always ready to assist anyone needing a helping hand. She loved music and was a talented, self-taught pianist (it was in her DNA) who knew the Baptist Hymnal (almost) by heart. She was a longtime member of Waynedale Baptist Church in Fort Wayne.

Mary is survived by her son, Capt. Bob Riley Patton, Jr. USN (Ret); her daughter, Mary Ellen Patton Locker; devoted daughter-in-law, Linda Patton; son-in-law, Dave Trapp; three grandchildren, Heather Lynn Patton Brown, Shawn James Locker (Kelly), and Christopher Alan Patton (Jen); and seven great-grandchildren, Sarah Brown, Ansley Brown, Zada Patton, William Brown, Gavan Patton, Georg Locker and Sidney Patton. Mary is also survived by a very close and loving set of sisters and brothers, Geraldine Grega, Obera Faas, Maynard N. Huddleston (Margaret), and Alan H. Huddleston (Agnes), her best friends her entire life; a large and devoted group of nieces and nephews from across the U.S.A., and especially those in Ft. Wayne, who served as her second set of children.

She was predeceased by her husband Bob R. Patton Sr. in 1977 and sister, Vivian Lohrmann.

Her family would like to thank the loving and dedicated staff at Lake Prince Woods, especially the caregivers in the Memory Unit, who provided for Mary a dignified life the past 11 years. They were her friends and she loved them like family.

There will be a private graveside service and interment at a later date at Resthaven Cemetery in Harlan, Ky. Donations in Mary’s name can be made to Lake Prince Woods Benevolent Fund, 100 Anna Goode Way, Suffolk, VA 23434.

Sturtevant Funeral Home in Suffolk is in charge of local arrangements.

www.SturtevantFuneralHome.com