Robes and his lovely bride Kim after their wedding in the Atlanta LDS Temple. We had a nice lunch at the Marriott Hotel in Atlanta, drove to Seneca, South Carolina (where Kim lived during high school) for their reception and then Mr. & Mrs. Patton drove off into the sunset in their gold VW bug (with cassette tapes in a Kotex box) and began their life together.
From a letter Kim wrote to friends and family in March of 1999:
It is difficult to explain how thankful I am that I was married to Robes Patton. My 89 year-old friend, Jackie, asked if I had known in the beginning that I would only have 15 years with him, would I have done it anyway? Every day that passes reaffirms my answer, "YES!" My life has richness because of those short 15 years and will always be shaped in some way by them. His approach to each day was extraordinary. There was always a twist, always one more drop of living and learning to wring from simple things. His incessant pursuit of self-improvement and new experiences is something I'm glad my kids witnessed. He showed us how to identify and relish the lasting things in life...During his illness we agreed that if we had those 15 years to live over again, we would live the same way. That's a good feeling...Even without him we have so much because of him.
Happy Anniversary!
12 comments:
Hello, this is Dan Zachary former favorite missionary companion. Robes was a good friend and has made a lasting impression on my life. I feel like I was guided to your blog this evening. For the past several hours, I have been thinking of Robes and the good times that we shared. He had the right attitude about life and I learned alot from him. My heart and love go out to you and your family and Robes. I can only imagine what a great impact he has made on your family because your were blessed with sharing alot more of life with him than I was able to share. With great respect, love and great memories.
God Bless,
Dan Zachary
dzachary@swfixtures.com
Beautiful, thank you for sharing this with all of us.
thanks for your post today. steve and i just celebrated 15 years in june. hopefully we'll never take this for granted. love the picture of your brother wearing the veil.
what a sweet tribut by you, his sweet wife (she seems amazing) and his friend Dan.
Clearly he was an amazing man! Thanks for sharing his memory with us!
What a great letter!
Wow! I feel privileged to have been allowed to read this!
Oh Ellen. What a sweet post. It is very touching to think of your brother and his wife and their short 15 years together.
Heather Parry
89 years old? wow! marvelous indeed, happy life for them ^^
I loved that.
That's such a sweet note.
Such beauty and tenderness always touches me deeply. As Dan has said, I too feel guided here tonight.
Papa & I have long known how exceptional you and Robes are, through our children having touched spirits with you and sharing with us.
As we have been acquainted with Robe's sweetheart & children through your blog and photos, our hearts are filled with gratitude to share in your love of family.
Love the photo and even in the poignancy of the moment, the veil on Robes head with the temple spire seeming a continuance of the veil gives cause to grin. Beautiful couple.
Thanks n' Love,
jan (of nanjan)
Yes, Ellen, I do enjoy reading about your brother.
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