John Patton Obituary

Patton
John Patton
January 26, 2023

Obituary - Colonel John Mercer Patton
Colonel John Mercer Patton (U.S.A.F., retired) of Lee's Summit, Missouri, veteran of three wars, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 26, 2023. Beloved husband of two wives who predeceased him, he became the beloved father and grandfather of two families.
Col. Patton's dynamic personality was a force in whatever room he entered. Family, friends, and strangers alike were drawn to his presence. He expressed his love of family and country in many ways, never leaving any doubt about his values as well as his views on a wide range of topics. Each generation of his progeny came to know his desire for each one to lead honorable, productive, and happy lives.
Col. Patton strived for fairness when contemplating the right thing to do in any circumstance. Those opposing him quickly learned that he was a man to be reckoned with, especially if he perceived a threat to those he held dear to his heart. A gregarious man, he had a knack for charming strangers, many of whom became lifelong friends.
Born in 1921 in Wytheville, Virginia, John "Jack" Mercer Patton grew up during the Depression in Richmond, Virginia. He attended college at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) during the first three years of World War II, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering in 1942. While attending VMI, he met Patricia "Patsy" Featherstone whom he married in November of 1942. They raised a family of four daughters through tumult of war and oases of peace. They were married 43 years until her death in 1985.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1942 in the U.S. Army, he trained in calvary, motorcycles, tanks, and aircraft, receiving his pilot's wings in 1943. Following ongoing training as a member of the U.S. Army Air Forces, he was deployed to the war in Europe in September, 1944, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge and other closing actions of WWII.
Briefly a civilian after the war, Patton answered a call for pilots for the newly founded U.S. Air Force. He served our country with honor and courage in two subsequent wars: the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He retired on January 1, 1970, after a long and distinguished military career in peacetime as well as in war.
His decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Commendation and Air Medals, and decorations from other nations.
After retiring to Oscoda, Michigan, Col. Patton fished and hunted and the Pattons travelled extensively, enjoying time with friends and visits with children and grandchildren until Patsy died in 1985.
In addition to leisure activities, during retirement Col. Patton contributed as an active member of the Dadaelions, an Air Force pilots' association, and in the alumni affairs of VMI.
Meeting again after many years, love and romance captured widower John "Jack" Patton and widow Geraldine "Gerry" Morphew. They married in 1985 and settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado being home to Gerry and three of her four children and their families. Fishing hunting, traveling, enjoying life with friends, and a now much expanded family, continued until Gerry's death in 2008.
A few years following the death of his second wife, Col. Patton, now in his 90s, decided to make his home in a senior community. He continued active participation in life with family and friends until the restrictions required by the Covid-19 pandemic. Surviving illness with Covid-19 himself, Col. Patton was able to enjoy a large, festive 100th birthday gathering and a quieter celebration of his 101st.
Col. Patton never lost his love of flying. He earned pilot certification in 25 aircraft, among them the PT19, a monoplane primary trainer aircraft; the P51 "Mustang" ("The best plane I ever flew."); the F102, the first supersonic all-weather jet; and the F4 Phantom, an all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber. His flight experience spanned a century of transformation, as did his life, as he transformed himself from intrepid young warrior to a vital old warrior, still loyal, still caring.
Col. Patton has now flown away from his family. He is survived by his children:
Martha Frances Patton and husband Richard K. Conant
Judith Patton O'Donnell
Patricia Talbot Patton
Diana Morphew Ladd
Stephanie Morphew Shobe and husband Brian Shobe
Kerry Morphew Loetscher and husband Nick Loetscher
"Adopted" son Charles "Chip" Parkins, Jr. and wife Debbie
Son-in-law Richard W. Hamilton
Col. Patton was the proud patriarch of 18 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by:
First wife, Patricia Featherstone Patton
Second wife, Geraldine Morphew Patton
Daughter Pamela Patton Hamilton
Son Michael Morphew
Fiance of Patricia, Lonnie Knight
Son-in-law David O'Donnell
Former son-in-law Anthony Platt
Date for burial service to be determined.