Jeffrey M. Patterson, 51, of Ridgeway, passed away unexpectedly Friday evening, December 25, 2020, at Hardin Memorial Hospital – Emergency Department.Jeff was born in Lima on March 31, 1969, to the late Dennis and Sharon (Kennedy) Patterson. He married Donna Zimmerman on June 9, 1989, and she survives in Ridgeway. Jeff’s family includes children: Cody, Wade (Sydney), Nicole, Katie, Esther (2000-2019), Tyrese, Joeb, Jebadiah, Clayton, and Joshua; sisters and brothers-in-law Denise and Todd Walker, and Megan and Kris Gossman and their children Morgan and Owen.
Jeff loved football and caught the coaching bug early on. His coaching career started at High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland, then to Perry High School in Lima. He also coached at Tiffin University and Western Connecticut State – Danbury, and he coached American football internationally with the Baltic Hurricanes and Aschaffenburg Stallions in Germany, and Limhamn Griffins in Sweden. From there he coached in Alaska at West Valley High School in Fairbanks, and then worked as a Zamboni driver and coach in Barrow, Alaska. Jeff was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Kenton.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, from 5-7pm at the Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, please consider wearing casual attire. Due to current pandemic orders, please be symptom free, practice social distancing, and wear a mask. A memorial mass will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider doing a good deed for another person, or make a donation to a high school athletic department.
Eichholtz Daring & Sanford Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Bellefontaine, is honored to serve the Patterson family and encourages anyone to share a fond memory or message of condolence at edsfh.com.