Barbara S. Patterson, 89, Operated Nursery School

Barbara S. Patterson died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes on Nov. 19 in Newton. She was 89.

She was born in Belmont on Sept. 1, 1917, the daughter of Alden and Katherine Brett. A graduate of Skidmore College, she then achieved a master's degree in music at Boston University. She was married to Alfred Nash Patterson; she sang as an alto in his chorus, The Chorus Pro Musica in Boston, and in a number of choruses and church choirs over the years.

She ran the Parents nursery school in Cambridge for many years, and then became the director of children's services at Children's Hospital in Boston where she was instrumental in founding the playroom concept for hospital kids. From that she moved on to teach second and third grades in the Weston and Newton School systems for over 15 years. At age 65 she began an acting career, commuting to study in New York, and appeared in movies such as The Witches of Eastwick and Somewhere in Time. She also performed in a number of plays off Broadway in New York, and in local productions around Boston and on the Vineyard. At age 70 she embarked on a stand-up comedy career, performing at venues in the Boston area and doing performance workshops all over the New England area. In the midst of all of this she taught her son the joy of fishing.

Through her seventies and eighties she spent much of her time on the Vineyard. She is survived by her sons Geoffrey Michael Brett Patterson of Edgartown and Christopher Alden Nash Patterson of Newton; grandchildren Darby June Patterson of Edgartown and Kristen and Tyler Patterson of Newton; sisters Janis Mead of Oak Bluffs and Helen Thacher of Marion; nieces Dorothy Pitt of Milton and Joan Tiffany of Boston; and nephew Brett Thacher of New York.

A memorial service will be held at the First Church of Belmont on Concord avenue in Belmont on Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.