Longtime eighborhood resident Gail Thoma Patterson, 57, was killed Monday when a truck slid off a snowy Santa Fe, N.M., road and crashed into her as she attempted to wave the trucker down, according to a Santa Fe newspaper. Patterson and her mother were in a car that slid off the road; after calling 911 and with her mother in the car, Patterson was hit by a truck driver while trying to flag him down for help. She died at the scene after the driver attempted to perform CPR but was unable to revive Patterson.
Our first Advocate ever, way back in April 1991, featured neighborhood residents Dan and Gail Thoma Patterson on the cover, along with their daughter Carry. The story was about the importance of becoming involved in neighborhood groups in order to make this area a better place to live, and it was a fitting story for our first issue and a fitting couple on the cover.
The Pattersons lived on Swiss Avenue at the time, and later they moved behind Lakewood Elementary School to a historic home they renovated. They were frequent contributors (individually and through their family’s foundation) to neighborhood groups and non-profits, and they remained regular readers of our magazine. A couple of years ago, Gail even became a regular in our Texas Rangers season ticket-buying group, comprised of neighborhood residents who love baseball but can’t afford full-season tickets on our own. I didn’t see her or Dan much, but we kept in touch and they were always big supporters of what we do here.
Gail is survived by Carry, Dan and son Cody. Funeral services will be held at Highland Park United Methodist Church Friday, Dec. 11, at 3 p.m. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Preservation Dallas, 2922 Swiss, Dallas 75204.
