Willard Patton Jr.

Willard (Bill) Matthew Patton Jr.

Bill passed away peacefully Saturday, May 5th, 2018 at the young age of 75, surrounded by family and loved ones.  He was born in Framingham, Massachusetts to Willard and Charlotte Patton as the eldest of four siblings.  He was an avid reader, enjoyed fishing and the great outdoors, and loved to listen to country music whenever his family let him pick the radio station.  For those that knew Bill, two things were obvious from the moment you meet him, he loved those with a good sense of humor and he loved his family.

At the age of 21, he married his high school sweetheart, Dianne Elizabeth Liberty.  Together they celebrated fifty-five years of marriage and had four children, and eight grandchildren.  In 1975, he attended Wentworth Institute of Technology where he received his degree in mechanical engineering before moving his family to Albuquerque in 1980 for his career with Digital Equipment Corporation.  He lived an adventurous life that anyone would be proud of, filled with campfires, tying fishing lures, watching wrestling, and cheering on the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox.

Bill is survived by his loving and caring wife, Dianne; his three siblings, brother, Paul and wife, Leanne, sister Susan Stewart and husband, John, and youngest brother Mark.  He leaves behind his four amazing children, his son Willard Mathew Patton III and wife, Catherine, his son John, his son Robert and wife, Jackie, and his daughter Mary; as well as eight grandchildren, Anthony, Christopher, Bryon, Corey and wife, Megan, Emily and fiance, Brandon, Dustin, Leanne, and Raymond; he also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, and other extended or adopted family members, Lisa, Karen, Lynne, Brandon, and his dog Rascal.

Friends (and strangers he would have love to have met) are welcome to join the Patton family in a Celebration of Life memorial service on Friday, May 11th at 12pm at Gabaldon Mortuary located at 1000 Old Coors Dr. SW, Albuquerque NM 87121.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the New Mexico Wildlife Federation in his memory. (http://nmwildlife.org/get-involved/support-nmwf/donate-today/)

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