Colleen Kay (Richards) Patterson

Colleen Kay (Richards) Patterson, age 77, of Nashville, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at The Waters of Martinsville.

Colleen was born in Indianapolis on June 8, 1948, to the late Robert Milton and Lillian Marcella (Fenicle) Richards. She was a 1966 graduate of Brown County High School and went on to attend Indiana University. Colleen retired in 1990 as an Assistant Postmaster with the United States Postal Service, serving in Monroe, Brown, and several surrounding counties after 12 years of service.

A lifelong member of Bear Creek Church in Brown County, Colleen’s faith was an important part of her life. She enjoyed tending her flower and vegetable gardens, traveling, sewing, crocheting, and quilting. Above all, she cherished her role as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Wendy Marcel Jean Crowley; sisters, Barbara Sue Richards and Betty Jo Richards; sister-in-law, Carol Richards; and a brother-in-law, Kenneth Polasky.

Colleen is survived by her devoted husband of 59 years, Merrill E. Patterson, whom she married on July 9, 1966, in Morgantown. She is also survived by her children, Patrick (Laura) Patterson of Nashville, Dakota Redd (Taylor) Crowley-Patterson of California and Maverick “Levi” Crowley-Patterson of Nashville; her grandchildren, Hannah (Chris) Riehl of Nashville and Elijah Joseph Patterson of Green Bay, Wisconsin; her great-grandchildren, Sunny, Stella, Mackenzie, and Callahan; and her siblings, Stanley (Vicky) Richards of Tennessee, Steven (Dixie) Richards of Colorado, Dennis Scott Richards of Tennessee, Kathleen (Mark) Dinwiddie of Oregon and  Janet Polasky of Michigan.

A Celebration of Life Service will be conducted by Pastor Rande Smith at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 7th at Bear Creek Church, 6758 Bear Creek Road in Morgantown. Following the service, there will be a visitation until 2:00 p.m. Cremation services have been entrusted to Meredith Funeral Home Cremation & Personalization Center in Morgantown.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Colleen to Bear Creek Church, 375 Artist Drive Nashville, IN 47448.

Online condolences may be shared with Colleen’s family at meredithfuneral.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Colleen Kay (Richards) Patterson, please visit our floral store.