Death of former State Senator Bruce Patterson is mourned
Born Feb. 7, 1947, in Detroit, Mr. Patterson earned both a Bachelor of Arts (1969) and a Juris Doctor (1972) from Wayne State University, launching a career that combined private law practice, higher education advancement, and public service.
Mr. Patterson practiced law for many years and served as president and partner of McCabe, Middleton & Patterson, P.C. Before entering elected office, he served as Director of Planned Giving at Eastern Michigan University (1991–1994), where he coordinated faculty/staff development campaigns and led planned-giving efforts to strengthen the university philanthropic programs.
Mr. Patterson served as a Wayne County Commissioner (1995–1998) before being elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1999. As a freshman state representative, he served as Associate Speaker Pro Tempore, and in his second term he was elected Majority Floor Leader. In 2002 he was elected to the Michigan State Senate representing the 7th District (Belleville, Canton, Northville, Plymouth), where he served two terms from 2003 to 2010. During his tenure in the Senate, he chaired the Energy Policy & Public Utilities Committee and served on the Health Policy, Judiciary, and Natural Resources & Environmental Affairs committees. He was known as a thoughtful legislator who championed consumer protections, environmental stewardship, and government transparency.
Mr. Patterson was a loving husband, devoted father, and proud grandfather. He found great joy in hunting, golfing, fishing, and taking long drives — but family remained his greatest pleasure, his family recalled. Among his survivors are his wife, Phyllis; children Justin (Jess) Patterson, Denise (Anthony) Mettetal, and Lauren (Jeffrey) Winner, and grandchildren Tannis, Maverick, Arlette, and Winston. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Margaret Patterson.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to either the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516 or to Angela Hospice, 14100 Newburgh Road, Livonia, MI 48154 in his memory.
