O. Daniel Patten

West Springfield- Oliver Dan Patten,79, passed away Wednesday at Holyoke Health Care. He was born in Enid, OK on July 13th, 1937 to the late Oliver and Bernice (Owens) Patten, one of eleven children. He grew up in the Seattle area and lived in West Springfield most of his life. Dan was a proud US Air Force Veteran serving from 1954-1958 during the Korean Conflict. He worked for 20 years at Package Machinery, later the Sprinter Corporation of Longmeadow. Dan spent much of his time setting up machinery for production for various corporations around the world. Prior to that he worked at Hamilton Standard and the Wall Street Journal. After his retirement Dan worked at Toomey-O'Brien Funeral Home. Initially Dan was a welder by trade and worked independently for several years. He was a jack of all trades and will be well remembered by all the family and friends he helped out over the years. Dan applied these talents for years helping to design and construct the St. Patrick's Day Floats for the town of West Springfield. Along with his wife Joan he was a longtime member of the West Springfield Parade Committee and was the Recipient of the 2012 Jinx Powers Award. He was an avid NASCAR and New England Patriots fan. He was a classic automobile enthusiast and enjoyed working on his vintage Corvette. Dan was the loving husband of 57 years to Joan (O'Brien) Patten, beloved father of Debbie Heady and her husband Shane of West Springfield, Daniel Patten and his wife Lynn of New Bedford, Karen Roberts and her husband Darryll of Chicopee, and Jody Weidler of Wales, caring brother of Jo Briggs of TN, and devoted grandfather of Ryan and Kyle Heady, Zachary, Sydney, Madison, and Hadley Patten, Allyson, Jay and Tom Duffy, and Devin and Connor Weidler, and great grandfather of Kegan Heady and Zoe Desautel. He also leaves several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son-in-law James Weidler in 2011. The funeral will be Monday 9 AM at the TOOMEY-O'BRIEN FUNERAL HOME, 1043 Westfield Street, followed at 10 AM by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at St. Thomas Church. A Committal Service with full military honors will follow at 11 AM at the Massachusetts Veterans' Memorial Cemetery at 1390 Main Street, Agawam. Calling hours are Sunday from 4-7 PM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dan's name may be made to the West Springfield Veterans' Council, 20 Houston Road, West Springfield, MA 01089 or to the West Springfield St. Patrick�s Day Parade Committee, P.O. Box 203, West Springfield, MA 01089.