Obituary of Doris Jo Patterson

Doris Jo Simmons was born on November 10, 1931 in Birdville, Texas, while her parents had temporarily left their Colleyville farm to work for wages during the depression. Her dad was William Kimbrough Simmons and her mother was Bessie Ethyl Cavender Simmons. When Doris was very small their renters in Colleyville (relatives of Doris’) moved out and the Simmonses moved back in, permanently. She had one older brother, Randall, and two older sisters, Billie and Betty, who died when they were babies. 

Doris Jo was a member of several northeast Tarrant County pioneer families. Three of her four great-grandfathers were Confederate soldiers. Her ancestors fought in the American Revolution and the War of 1812.  Her brother was a World War II veteran.

As a girl, Doris Jo learned to play the piano in the home of Starr Frank in Grapevine.  She began playing at Pleasant Run Baptist Church when she was 10, a job she kept until this illness prevented her from coming to church. She played the first two Sundays in August this past summer.  This church has meant the world to Doris Jo.  She taught the ladies class, a job her mother previously had.  She has formed friendships at the church which to her were as much a part of her family as any blood relation.  Over the years she has played for community functions, weddings and countless funerals. 

She married Jack Edmond Patterson on May 8, 1948 in Weatherford, Texas. They ran away to Weatherford to get married and initially kept the marriage a secret from their parents and each went home to their houses on adjacent homeplaces. They had two children, Michael and Tammy. At the time of her death, Doris Jo was still living on the homeplace belonging to her maternal grandparents, a fact of which she was very proud. Her great-grandson, Oliver, is the seventh generation to live on the place.

Doris Jo began working for Dr. Herbert Wyss in Keller right after Tammy was born. She worked for him throughout the rest of his career. She received her nursing training from Dr. Wyss on the job.  She ran the office, made house calls, and filled prescriptions from their pharmacy in the back room. When the doctor retired, Doris Jo and Jack took him into their home and took care of him for the remainder of his life. 

Doris Jo was preceded in death by her husband Jack after fifty-three years of marriage. She is survived by her son Michael and his wife Marilyn, daughter Tammy, granddaughter Laura Patterson, and great grandson Oliver Patterson, her Pleasant Run church family, and numerous friends.

Visitation: 6 - 8 p.m. Friday, January 18, 2019 at Pleasant Run Baptist Church, 6005 Pleasant Run Road, Colleyville, Texas, 76034.

Service: 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 19, 2019 at Pleasant Run Baptist Church.

Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery, 2301 N Sylvania Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76111.