Randy Dean Patterson, MSgt., USAF (Retired)
July 24, 1961 – September 26, 2016

MSgt. Randy Dean Patterson passed away in Loveland, Colorado on September 26, 2016.

Randy was born on July 24, 1961 in Carmel, California to Major Kenneth R. Patterson (Army) and Priscilla (Chris) (Smith) Patterson.

Randy is survived by his children, Hannah and Zachary (Joni) Patterson, and by his grandchildren; Jackson Abel and Elle, Henry, and Maggie Patterson, his sisters Donna (Ray) Mehling and Debbie (Bob) Refer, his nephews, Nick (Caitlin) Kosmider and Matt (Alex) Kosmider, his niece Kelly Refer and his great niece and nephew Cheyenne and Jordan Kosmider.

He is preceded in death by his father, his mother, and by his little brother Jon Patterson whom he loved and missed very much.

Randy cherished his childhood in St. David, Arizona. He had amazing adventures there with his family, the Breakfield kids, Tom, Tim, Robert, and countless others, too many to mention here. He built life-long friendships that continue to this day. He graduated from St. David High School in 1979.

Randy started his military career with the United States Air Force in 1979 as an Avionics Technician on F-15 Fighter jets. During this time he was stationed at Holloman AFB New Mexico and Eglin AFB Florida and he was often deployed to Europe and Alaska.

After a Humanitarian Reassignment to Tucson, Arizona, to care for his ailing father, Randy worked as a Crew Chief on A-10 Warthogs at Davis-Monthan AFB Arizona. He was fascinated by this airplane, and made some truly wonderful friends during his tenure there.

In 1988 he started his career as a Flight Engineer with the 71st Special Operations Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB. He started flying on the H-3, Jolly Green, and he was in heaven. He loved the aircraft and the crew that he flew with. After a time, his unit switched to HH-60 Pave Hawks which was perfectly alright with him. While he was a member of this squadron he was deployed to Turkey for Operation Provide Comfort.

In 1991 he started training as a Flight Engineer on C-130 transport planes and flew with the Arizona Air National Guard. He continued his stint on the C-130 with the Wyoming Air National Guard at Warren AFB.

In 1996 he transitioned back into the HH-60 with the California Air National Guard at Moffett Field AFB. During his tenure there he participated in Operation Southern Watch based in Kuwait, and Operation Northern Watch based in Turkey.

He retired from the military in 2005 as the Maintenance Control Flight Line Supervisor at Moffett Field AFB California.

After traveling the world as an Airman, Randy seized the opportunity to experience the USA on the ground by taking on a Commercial Trucking career. He enjoyed exploring the 48 contiguous states and he used his time on the road to visit his family and many friends all over the country.

When he grew weary of the trucking miles, Randy found himself in the oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma. He bought a big RV and settled in with his dog, Daisy. He enjoyed the work and he continued to meet and make good friends there.

Randy moved to Loveland, Colorado in May of 2016. He spent the summer with his children and his grandchildren.

Cremation has taken place. Internment will take place at 10:00 a.m. on November 14, 2016 at Fort Huachuca Cemetery in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

A Celebration of Life Gathering is planned for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12, 2016 at the Arena Bar, located at 250 N Prickly Pear Ave. in Benson Arizona.