Stephen Ross Patterson, a long-time resident of San Antonio and surrounding counties, died on October 9, 2025. He was 93. Steve spent his life as a natural country boy, through word, act and deed.

Steve was born to Ross William Patterson and Ruby Alice Grace Patterson on July 6, 1932. He grew up in the hills west of Austin and learned to hunt and shoot and chop cedar at an early age. Steve joined the Navy in 1953 and sailed on the very first cross-Atlantic voyage of the Midway, the Navy's state-of-the art aircraft carrier at the time. Steve cruised the Mediterranean and made ports-of-call on the French Riveria, Italy, Greece, and the north coast of Africa. During that long voyage from home Steve acquired a guitar and began to play the tunes he loved best, from the music of Hank Williams. Steve's love of country music

grew and he continued to play in later life, sometimes in a band, and often solo, but always adding to his repertoire with the current country music of the day.

Steve worked for most of his professional life as a member of the federal Civilian Service at air force bases in Laredo and San Antonio. He became an expert in sheet metal inspection, and often undertook work assignments that took him into the interior of the wings structures of Stratofortress B-52s. Steve liked what he did, and he developed special skills that made him into a master mechanic. Steve became a man who could do most anything with his hands.

Steve grew up as the only boy in a family of girls. Born in sequence during the Depression years, Steve was number 3 in a line of four siblings. Steve's older sisters, Alice Katherine Patterson Oestrick and Grace Elizabeth Patterson Lenz, predeceased him. Steve is survived by his younger sister Jerry Lee Patterson Burklund. He is also survived by a late-comer brother, Rodney Matthew Patterson, who was born 21 years after Steve.

Steve was the father of four children. Steve's sons, Hank and Carl, and a daughter, Rhonda, predeceased him. Steve is survived by his eldest daughter, Roxanne Patterson Dominguez, of New Braunfels.

Steve Patterson will be interred in the family cemetery, known as Patterson-Riley Cemetery, on Patterson Lane in west Travis County.