The local public safety community, family, and friends are preparing their final goodbyes for a man colleagues remember as “a great person, great firefighter, and great friend!”
Chandler Patterson will be memorialized during a celebration of life service Friday, July 2, at Rabun County High School. The 27-year-old firefighter and EMT died Saturday in a boating accident on Lake Tugalo during an outing with family and friends.
Patterson worked with the fire department in Gainesville. He was a newlywed and, according to family, “happier than he had ever been after marrying the love of his life” three weeks before his death.
A graduate of Rabun County High School and the University of West Georgia, he had a zest for life that was captured in his obituary.
“Chan enjoyed being outdoors, especially when he was hunting or fishing. He also loved sports like playing golf and basketball,” his obituary says. “He was a wonderful storyteller who loved spending time with his family and friends. He loved music and dancing and never met a stranger.”
Patterson is survived by his wife, Alyssa Stroner Patterson of Braselton, his parents, sister, and grandparents.
The celebration of life service on July 2 will be held in the Rabun County High School Fine Arts Building. Patterson’s family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until 1:40 p.m. The service will follow at 2 p.m. and will be live-streamed by Clayton Baptist Church.
The school is located off of U.S. Highway 441 South in Tiger, Georgia.
