Donald Patten

Donald S. Patten, 80, died peacefully in his sleep on December 25, 2021 after 18 days in hospice care at the VA hospital in Little Rock. He was born in New Orleans to Herbert and Isabelle Keyworth Patten and lived there until moving to Little Rock with his family in 1977. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Nancy Saxe Patten of Little Rock, AR; daughter Patricia Jorwall (Joakim) of Blentarp, Sweden; Mabyn Pappas (Taki, Stavros, and Augie) of Louisville, KY; granddaughter, Erin Patten-Gauss (Bailey) of Chicago, IL; and sister, Patricia Patten (John) of Annapolis, MD.  He is preceded in death by his parents and his son, Rudy Patten.

Donald retired from Delta Airlines in 1992 after 30 years of service. He was a U.S. Navy QM2 veteran of amphibious assault operations in the Vietnam War. During his service, he discovered a previously unknown undersea mountain in the Pacific Ocean. He served as a search pilot and flight instructor with the Civil Air Patrol, and even built his own ultralight airplane in the garage. Furthermore, he was a proud donor of over 20 gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.  A lifetime lover of animals, he had many pets and enjoyed volunteering at the Humane Society.

He felt blessed with a life filled with good friends and family who provided waterfront cottages, sailing yachts, and great memories of a rich, full life filled with world travel, sailing, private airplanes, sports, and experiences. Don liked to joke that he was one of the more sinful members of Oak Forest United Methodist Church, but he tried to make up for it by helping with many of their outreach programs.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to the church in his name, especially the fund for their new roof: https://www.oakforestumc.com/give.html