Nancy Patterson lived 100 remarkable years, bringing love to her family, friends, colleagues, students, and, of course, her cats. Her spirit lives on in the thousands of lives her kindness touched.
Please use Facebook as a memorial and feel free to add any stories, memories, or photos you would like to share. And celebrate Nancy’s life in true Mrs. P fashion: pet a cat, tackle a challenging crossword puzzle, read a mystery novel, or raise a glass of Mexican Coffee. Also, thank an amazing and hardworking teacher you know.
Nancy Jean Patterson was born on December 11, 1923, in Ohio. At age six, Nancy contracted polio, and Nancy and her mother, Mildred Bryan, left Ohio for treatment in Los Angeles. Nancy underwent several surgeries on her leg, which remained partially paralyzed. Soon, however, she was riding bicycles with her friends down Mount Washington in Los Angeles.
Nancy attended Whittier College and Occidental College, earning a B.A. in English. After securing her teaching credential, Nancy taught fourth grade for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Nancy married James “Pat” Patterson in 1945. Two years later, their only child, James Michael Patterson, was born.
Nancy started teaching English at her mother’s court reporting college, Bryan College of Court Reporting, in 1947. She spent the next 59 years working at the college in nearly every capacity. In addition to her work at Bryan College, she earned her CSR license in 1953 and worked as a freelance reporter with the Snyder-Heathcote Agency, a pro tem reporter in U.S. Federal Court, a pro tem reporter in Los Angeles Municipal Court, and an official reporter with Los Angeles Superior Court. Nancy reported on several high-profile cases involving John F. Kennedy, Charles Manson, and Cheryl Crane (Lana Turner’s daughter).
Nancy was also active in administering court reporting examinations. She served as Chief Examiner for the RPR Examination and Co-chair for the Deposition Reporters Association Realtime Examinations. She also administered the California State Hearing Reporters Examination, Federal District Court Examinations in Los Angeles, and Proficiency and Merit Tests in California and Utah.
Nancy held numerous offices in the court reporting industry, including Chairman of NCRA’s Speed Contest, Chairman of CCRA’s Speed Contest, and President of the Los Angeles County General Court Reporting Association.
Nancy taught more than 100 seminars on English, medical terms, and legal terms for NCRA, CCRA, the California Hearing Reporters Association, Deposition Reporters Association, and the Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Missouri reporting associations.
Nancy received the California Distinguished Service Award in 1984, the NCRA Distinguished Service Award in 1990, and the National Santo Aurelio Award for Altruism in 2003.
After retiring from most activities in 2016, Nancy was cared for by her grandson, Jason Patterson, and granddaughter-in-law, Jodie Patterson.
Nancy leaves behind her grandson, Jason Patterson; granddaughter, Melissa Becker; and great-grandchildren Alexander Patterson, Jake Patterson, Jonathan Becker, and Sydney Becker.
Jodie and Jason Patterson
