Kathryn Ann (Kathy) Patterson, a lifetime resident of Cherokee and a beloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, died on December 19, 2023, in her home, surrounded by family. She was 77. A visitation and service will be held at Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee on Wednesday, December 27, with the visitation beginning at 5 p.m. and the service to follow at 6:30 p.m. Father Dan Rupp will officiate. Mourners may make a donation to the Cherokee Public Library and hug their families and friends a little closer this holiday season. Born April 22, 1946, to Paul and Irene (Paulson) Goeb of Cherokee, Kathy was the second eldest of six siblings. After graduating from Immaculate Conception High School in 1964, she studied cosmetology in Sioux City and worked professionally as a hair stylist for thirteen years. She married Kenneth Dean (Kenny) Patterson, also of Cherokee, in 1966, and the two celebrated their 57th anniversary in 2023. She raised two sons, James Paul Patterson of Iowa City and Nickolas Lee Patterson of Cherokee, on their family farm west of Cherokee, where she lived and worked the majority of her life. Despite having been a “city” kid, Kathy thrived in country life, working as hard as anyone and helping the landscape flourish. She was an avid gardener late into life, and her vegetables graced many a meal. In summers past, she and Kenny would sell the premium sweet corn they’d raised from the back of a pickup truck and to local stores, to the delight of many. And more recently, she enjoyed growing pumpkins and gourds for grandkids and friends. Kathy was also an avid reader. Her voraciousness challenged the Cherokee Public Library, of which she was a frequent and enthusiastic patron, to find books that she hadn’t read yet. In earlier years, Kathy devoted herself to the Catholic Church and community service. She was long active in the IC Parish’s ladies’ union and served as its president. She was also a Eucharistic Minister for many years. Kathy was fond of popular music from the 1950s and 1960s, with Elvis Pressley, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers being particular favorites. Over the years, she attended several concerts with Kenny and particularly enjoyed the old Roof Garden in Arnold’s Park. Kathy relished time at the family cottage in the Okoboji area with generations of family and friends present. Her young children in tow, she would shop, cook, and share stories with friends and family there, but she seemed most to cherish afternoons sunbathing on the dock that projected out into Lake Minnewashta. In later life, her six grandchildren became a central focus and source of profound happiness for her. When the seasons and tasks permitted, which was not all that often, Kathy would make trips to Las Vegas with Kenny and sometimes other family members and friends. She would occasionally travel with siblings to sightsee or to attend a family wedding or other celebration. Kathy possessed a keen intelligence, sharp wit, and strong will. When she set her mind to do something, she did it, and just so, whether that meant working as hard as the men or keeping up her appearance and home. Her love, kindness, and generosity were paramount and what will remain most strongly in the minds and hearts those who knew her. She will be missed by many. She had once said, “I just want to leave my corner of the world a little better than I found it.” Survivors include her husband, Kenny; her sons, Jim and his wife, Jennifer, Nick and his wife, Kristin; her five siblings, Andrea (Goeb) Dailey of Corvalis, Oregon, Constance (Connie) Goeb of Carpinteria, California, Pamela (Goeb) Jordan and her husband, Michael, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, Richard Goeb and his wife, Susanne, of Danville, California, and Christopher Goeb and his wife, Lou Ann, of Sheldon, Iowa; six grandchildren, Abigail, Cora, Milos, Sophia, Garrett, and Owen; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, a brother-in-law, Dan Dailey, husband of Andrea, a brother-in-law Robert Patterson, sister-in-law Patricia Teske, and a son, Jonathan Lee, who died in infancy.
