Rochester's Army Sgt. Patterson Dies In Iraq
Jennifer Peryam
Times-Union Staff Writer
Army Sgt. Nicholas "Nick" James Patterson died Monday in Iraq, and the cause of death has not been released.
Patterson, 24, son of James and Virginia Patterson, Rochester, and Scott and Jane Holmes, Warsaw, was a resident of Rochester.
The families were notified Monday of Patterson's death, according to Patterson's stepbrother Kyle McLochlin. McLochlin preferred not to provide further comment about Patterson this morning.
Patterson was an active duty Army sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division assigned to Iraq.
DePuy Orthopaedics, Warsaw, where Jane Holmes works, held a moment of silence around the company's flagpole this morning to remember Patterson.
Patterson was a 2001 graduate of Rochester High School, where he played baseball and basketball.
Mark Miller, Rochester High School athletic director, remembers Patterson as a hard worker and outstanding athlete.
Miller's son, Marcus, played high school baseball with Patterson.
"Nick was an intense, athletic competitor who did whatever he could to help his team win," Miller said.
Patterson started as a varsity point guard on Rochester's basketball team during his junior and senior year.
"Besides being intensely competitive, Nick always had a smile on his face and a great attitude about life, and it is unfortunate that he is gone," Miller said.
Funeral services for Patterson are pending at Earl-Love Funeral Home, Akron.
Patterson is the fourth Kosciusko County-related soldier to die in the Iraq War.
The first was Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Fribley, who died March 23, 2003.
The second Kosciusko County soldier to die was Indiana Guardsman Capt. Todd Fiscus, Milford, who died in Afghanistan, March 26, 2005.
The third soldier to die was Tippy Valley graduate and Kentucky National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Brock Beery, who died in 2006 in Iraq.
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