Chris Patterson Memorial Service: Smiles, Sadness and Singing

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Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday at to remember a soldier, student and son that was gone too soon.

died on Jan. 6 in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb detonated underneath a vehicle he was in. in the attack.

Patterson, of North Aurora, was honored in multiple ways during a funeral service in the church’s Family Life Center in Batavia. He received the Purple Heart award and Bronze Star medal for his service and sacrifice as an Indiana National Guardsman. He also received a 21-gun salute.

But perhaps most fitting of all were the musical performances that filled the church. Members of the West Aurora High School Choir, the male a capella group VuVox and the Valparaiso University Chorale sang their hearts out for Patterson on a stage behind his casket.

Patterson had . He was a student a Valparaiso University in Indiana and also enrolled in the ROTC. He switched out of that and became available for active duty when his Indiana National Guard unit was activated.

Patterson’s father Bob said his son loved to perform with a group rather than solo. He got on stage and looked at his son’s friends as he fought back tears.

“Chris just loved … performing with you guys and today he's just smiling and really appreciates the performances,” Bob Patterson told them.

Songs filled the church’s family life center with melody and a sense of melancholy at times.

The audience listened to the music and the service intently, some wiping away tears, other smiling at their memories of Patterson.

“It’s not the time to grieve his death, but celebrate his life,” said R. Martin Umbarger, Indiana National Guard Major General.

“He Lived His Faith”

Umbarger was at the service to help eulogize Patterson. Others in attendance included Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Ron Weidler, Immanuel Lutheran’s senior pastor.

Weidler recounted Patterson’s devotion to his country and decision to deploy with his fellow Guardsman.

“(Patterson said) ‘I didn’t join the Guard just so I could have tuition … I did that because I want to serve my country,’” Weidler said.

Patterson was always about others and never himself. Weidler shared the story told by Patterson’s father earlier this month of when his son was attacked while a student at West Aurora High School.

The pastor said they would say prayers for Patterson, but Patterson wanted people to pray instead for the student who beat him up. The Pattersons have attended Immanuel Lutheran in Batavia for over 10 years.

“He lived his faith,” Robert Patterson said of his son. He said Chris’ country was his life and music.

“He is so proud of you for carrying on the fight, staying with the mission,” Robert Patterson said of his son's fellow soldiers, still in Afghanistan. “Because you know that’s where he would be.”

Gov. Quinn lauded the family for raising Patterson and told them their son’s time here was short but meaningful.

“We owe him a profound debt of gratitude for his purposeful life,” Quinn said during the service.

Salute, Saying Goodbye

As the eulogies concluded, the military presented Patterson’s family with the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.

The family then followed Patterson’s casket outside for military honors. The audience slowly filed out of the church building to join the family.

After a 21-gun salute,  “Taps” blared into the distance. The family stood at attention as an American flag was folded above Patterson’s casket. His mother Mary looked into the sky.

The flag was presented to the Pattersons and the two-hour service concluded. Many lingered to join and comfort the family.

“Thank you for your service,” Gen. Umbarger said earlier on in the celebration. “I promise that it, nor you, may never be forgotten.”