Joanne B. Patterson, 83, Loved to Cast for Blues

Joanne Bunker Patterson died on April 8 at Sherrill House in Boston. She was 83.

The daughter of George Haring Bunker and Katharine Stevenson Bunker Bell, Joanne was a summer resident of Chappaquiddick nearly all her life.

She lived in many places, including Wyomissing and Fleetwood, Pa., Longmeadow, Monson and Duxbury, and Stuart, Fla. But she always called Chappaquiddick her home.

Raised with her sisters Kappi Getsinger and Suzanne Hopkins in Yonkers, N.Y. and in Cuba, Joanne attended The Halstead School, Emma Willard and Smith College.

In 1944 she married John McCord Patterson, whom she affectionately called Pat.

Their daughter, Lindsay Patterson Allison, of Cambridge, was born two years later. The family continued spending summers on Chappaquiddick, often together with the Getsingers and Hopkins.

Joanne taught her daughter and her grandchildren how to play tennis, and passed on the arts of gardening, clamming, scalloping and fishing. She loved to surf cast for blues and bass most of all, and often accompanied her dear friend Foster Silva to Wasque and Cape Pogue.

Joanne's many interests included raising English springer spaniels and judging dog shows. In 1957 she and Pat bred the highest-winning sporting dog in the country, Sandolyn's Davey Crockett.

Another of her claims to fame was being a frequent winner of the Chappy Tennis Tournament.

For many years Joanne ran her own real estate firm, Harbor Realty in Duxbury. After her "retirement," she continued to work at Barbara Nevin Real Estate and at Sandpiper in Edgartown.

She was president of the Chappaquiddick Island Association in the 1970s, and was a member of the Chappaquiddick Beach Club, the Royal Chappaquiddick Yacht Club and the fun-loving Inland Ball Watchers Society golf group on North Neck.

Joanne's grandchildren, Sam Allison and Morgan Gaspar Herman of Cambridge and Boston, will lovingly remember Ayah, as they called her. Both spent many summers on Chappaquiddick and Christmases on the beach with her in Florida.

She conveyed her love of nature to Morgan and Sam on long drives to Wasque and Cape Pogue, and naturally by teaching them both to fish and to clean their fish.

After she suffered a stroke on Chappy in 1999, Joanne continued to visit her home there every summer. These were the best days of her year, and she loved time spent with her Island friends and with her family.

Although her health and ability to do things for herself diminished, her gumption and unforgettable sense of humor remained as fiery as ever.

With much joy, Joanne met her newborn great-grandson, Dylan Herman, who was born on March 4.

Until her death Joanne lived at The Village at Duxbury, where she had many close friends among the residents and staff.

In addition to her daughter and two grandchildren she is survived by her favorite son in law, Blake Allison of Cambridge; her sisters Kappi Gestinger of Chappaquiddick and Suzanne Hopkins of Northeast Harbor, Me.; her niece Suzanne Hopkins of Cambridge who helped care for her in the final stage of her life, and many Getsinger and Hopkins nieces and nephews and friends.

A memorial service will be held at the family house, Snow's Point on Katama Bay in July.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Chappy Open Space Fund care of the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation, RR 1 Box 319X Vineyard Haven, MA. 02568. Checks should be made out to Sheriff's Meadow Foundation.