Sheila Patterson

Sheila Hall Patterson, age 100, of Franklin, Tennessee, and formerly of Eupora, Mississippi, died peacefully on March 15, 2026, at NHC Place at the Trace in Nashville, Tennessee. Born Sheila Hester Hall on April 11, 1925, in Portland, Oregon, to Erin Hester Hall and Charles Brandon Hall Sr., she graduated from Jefferson High School and attended Multnomah Junior College before moving south with her widowed mother in 1944 to be near family in Eupora. She completed her education at Mississippi State University, where she was a member of Chi Omega Sorority and named a Campus Favorite, earning her Bachelor’s degree in Secretarial Science in 1947.

In 1949 she married John Harpole Patterson of Calhoun City, Mississippi. Together they raised their three children, Kent, Guy, and Dana, in Eupora. Shortly after college, Sheila was appointed the first Court Reporter for the newly formed 14th Chancery Court District of Mississippi, serving Webster, Clay, Noxubee, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, and Chickasaw counties for 27 years. She had the privilege of working alongside distinguished judges including R.P. Sugg and Lenore Prather. She also served as a Webster County Social Worker from 1961 to 1969 and briefly worked for T.F. Taylor Lumber Company. After retiring in 1989, she found joy in traveling with friends, her Bridge Club, her Sunday School class at Eupora First Baptist Church, and cheering for Mississippi State University athletics.

Sheila will be remembered for her loving loyalty to family and friends, her consistently positive outlook, and her resilient spirit. She cherished her many friendships and, above all, the love of her children and extended family. She is survived by her three children, Kent Douglas Patterson (Diane Moody Patterson) of Franklin, Tennessee, Guy Harpole Patterson (Martha Harris Patterson) of Franklin, Tennessee, and Dana Patterson Drake (Charles William Drake Jr.) of Dublin, California; six grandchildren, Seth Douglas Patterson, Steven Miles Patterson (Cassie), Martin Reid Patterson (Amanda), Erin Patterson Ivey (Carter), Charles William Drake III, and Benjamin Hall Drake; and five great-grandchildren, Adalyn Rae Patterson, Owen Miles Patterson, Lily Sutton Patterson, John Brooks Ivey, and Campbell Hayes Ivey.