Obituary of Travis Farrar Patterson

Travis Farrar Patterson, PhD, died on February 16, 2025, in Aledo, Texas at age 91. Born in Columbus, Georgia to Sarah Carolyn Culbreath and George Travis “Pat” Patterson, Farrar grew up in Memphis, Tennessee the oldest of seven children; he had two sisters, two half-sisters, and two half-brothers. He married Helen Edwina Schovajsa of Amherst, Texas in 1959 when they were both graduate seminary students. He is survived by their two daughters and sons-in-law, S. Paige Patterson Clarke and James Clarke, and H. Shea Patterson Young and Patrick Young, by four grandsons and two granddaughters-in-law: Austin Lindsey and Anni Lindsey, Laurence Clarke and Jennifer Donnelly Clarke, Edward Clarke, and Arthur Clarke.

Farrar held undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southeastern Bible College, Baylor University, Dallas Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Texas Christian University. In his professional life, he was an ordained minister serving as pastor at churches in Weatherford and in Columbus, Texas, was a tenured Professor of Preaching and Communication, and was a researcher who spent a sabbatical year in 1984 as a visiting scholar at the University of Cambridge in England studying the life and works of John Wesley in preparation for writing and publishing his own book, Do-it-Yourself Bible Study. He also served his community as a town councilman.

While Dr. Patterson enjoyed discussing philosophical questions, he also excelled in working with his hands bringing the “do-it-yourself” approach to building his own house, a modified A-frame using a jig structure he designed to construct each truss at ground level, then raising it up with pulleys to join the structure. He restored and repaired cars with special fondness for examples from the 1930s. At times his collection included a 1935 Hupmobile Aeordynamic, a 1942 Lincoln Zephyr, and a 1953 Jaguar. His last daily driver was a silver Pontiac Solstice convertible which he loved to take on the back roads of Texas, often searching for new BBQ restaurants.

He was an artist, a craftsman, and he took special care to teach the younger generations how to confidently use tools, organizing projects such as a zip line, potato cannon and driveway hovercraft. Farrar cared deeply about nature, turning his own property into a wildlife conservation area. He designed and constructed a special greenhouse for tomato plants (because no meal was complete without a fresh tomato) and planned endless fishing trips to regional lakes and rivers.

Although he became disillusioned with denominational politics, Farrar never lost faith in God. He often preached about lessons from the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus addresses an outdoor crowd telling them that they are the “salt of the earth,” (Matthew 5:13) emphasizing that all people possess equal worth and value. Farrar strove to model this principle in his own life, showing a sincere interest in others and respect for differences, including sharing lessons from scholars with churches across the world through his Latimer House Publishing Company and through personal friendships. Even as a world traveler, Farrar was happiest at home in the company of family.

He will be missed.