Katheryne Patterson, who is known as the Bluffton elementary school music teacher by a generation of Baby Boomers, will celebrate her 99th birthday on Saturday, Oct. 24. She is a lifelong Bluffton resident and lives at Maple Crest.
Her list of community activities seems endless as she has always maintained a wide variety of interests, making her a Bluffton icon in her own right.
She was born to Albert and Anna (Leichty) Lugibill on Oct. 24, 1910, in Bluffton. Unknown to most people, a twin sister, Dorthea, died on the same day Katheryne was born.
On Aug. 2, 1936, she married Don Patterson, who was also a twin. The couple was married in First Mennonite Church. Don is deceased. He operated a Main Street barbershop, which itself was a Bluffton institution during its time. It was located in what is today part of the Citizens National Bank building.
She graduated from Bluffton High School in 1928 and from Bluffton University in 1932. As a young athlete she participated in basketball, softball, tennis, track, swimming and was a cheerleader. She captained the undefeated Bluffton High School girls~Ac^a'not^a"c basketball team, which won the Allen County championship her senior year of 1927-28.
Her musical interests were many as she sang in several high school and college groups. Her singing activities continued after college.
Mrs. Patterson taught physical education, coached basketball and softball and later taught elementary music in Pemberville and Bluffton.
As a lifelong member of First Mennonite Church, Bluffton, she directed choirs, played the organ and sang in the church choir. She was a member of the chorus of the Bluffton Choral Society~Ac^a'not^a"cs performances of Handel~Ac^a'not^a"cs Messiah for 69 years in a row. She only missed singing during the year she was eight months pregnant with twins.
Concerning her community involvement, Mrs. Patterson belonged to the Travel Class, Alpha Gamma, Bridge Club (the one organized by Phyllis Diller), Goldenaires, Bluffton University Cantata Singers, Scrap Artists Quilt Club, Women~Ac^a'not^a"cs Circle and continues to participate in events at Maple Crest.
As an avid sports fan, she is known to miss a meal in order to watch an Ohio State University football game on television.
A woman with many stories about early Bluffton, she can, for example, tell the story about when her father, A.E. Lugibill who took a year~Ac^a'not^a"cs sabbatical to cut trees on the Ezra Moser farm in order to help build the First Mennonite Church. He did this with six children in his home.
Her children are Nancy (Richard, deceased) Fruchey, Bluffton, Connie (Dennis) Kear, Houston, Texas, and Don (Pamela) Patterson, Findlay. Nancy and Connie are twins. Mrs. Patterson has seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
