Emma Keown Patterson

     Emma Keown Patterson  101, of Sacramento, Kentucky went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at Riverside Care and Rehabilitation Center in Calhoun.  Emma Ellen Henson was born February 20, 1919 in Toronto, Kansas to the late George Arthur and Cecil Elizabeth Adams Henson.  In her twenties, she moved to Wichita to work for Boeing Aircraft as a “Rosie the Riveter” during the war effort.  Emma started as a riveter on the B-17 Bombers at Boeing and was later moved to the first female Class A welder.  She married Joseph Emery Keown and they moved back to Sacramento until his death June 29, 1978.  In the late 1950’s and 1960’s she was a cook at Sacramento High School and later retired from General Electric in Madisonville.  She was later married to Herman Elsworth Patterson until his death April 7, 1994.  Emma was a member of Sacramento Cumberland Presbyterian Church and served as both the church pianist and organist for many years.  Her love for her church was the only thing  that was stronger than the love for her family.  Her greatest love was music, learning to play the piano at a very early age.  Emma also enjoyed caring for all of her flowers.  She was an accomplished seamstress that yearly would allow her children to pick clothes from a catalog and she would both design and sew them personally.  Every gift she gave for weddings, baby showers and birthdays were usually personally made by Ms. Emma.  She was a breast cancer survivor and participated in the first Relay for Life in McLean County.  Even at the age of 101, Ms. Emma was an independent and very active senior, living alone until June of this year.  In addition to her parents and two husbands, Emma was preceded in death by a son, Ronald Lee Keown; by her brother, George H. Henson; by her sister, Betty Henson Olson; and by five step sons, H.E. Patterson, Jr., Delbert Patterson, Arthur Patterson, Carl Patterson, and Leon Patterson.

     Survivors include a son, Larry J. Keown (Betty) of Beech Grove; two daughters, Shirley Medley (Rick) of Beech Grove and Rida Buddee (Jim) of Robards; a step daughter, Mary Nell Seddon (Vernon) of Evansville; five grandchildren, Larry “Joey” Keown, Alisha Williams (Gary), Chad Medley, Liz Stanley Smart (John), and Ryan Stanley (Shawnda); 10 great grandchildren; 4 great great grandchildren; 19 step grandchildren; 44 step great grandchildren; 52 step great great grandchildren; and a step great great great grandchild.

     Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday at Sacramento Cumberland Presbyterian Church with the Revs. John Butler, Kevin Brantley and Jim Midkiff officiating.  Burial will be in the West Schoolhouse Cemetery in Sacramento.  Friends may visit with Emma’s family from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Sunday and from 11:00 A.M. until 1:30 P.M. Monday at Muster Funeral Homes, Calhoun Chapel.  In compliance with health and public safety directives, capacity for both Ms. Emma’s visitation and funeral service will be limited in accordance with state guidelines.  Due to the Governor’s mandate, masks or facial coverings are required during all services.

     Ms. Emma’s services will be streamed live on www.musterfuneralhomes.com at 2:00 P.M. Monday.

     The Emma Keown Patterson family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of donations to Sacramento Cumberland Presbyterian Church; P.O. Box 257; Sacramento, Kentucky  42372.  Memorial contribution envelopes will be available at Musters in Calhoun.

     Share your memories and photos of Ms. Emma at musterfuneralhomes.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Emma Keown Patterson, please visit our floral store.