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George Robert Paterson
Obituary written by George on July 2, 2021
George Robert Paterson of Wilmette, IL, aged 91, died suddenly on Saturday, July 18, 2026.

The following obituary was found among his papers after his death.

Loving son of William Ewing Paterson and Carrie May Jones Paterson, George was born in St. Louis on October 10, 1934. He graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1952 and went on to Grinnell College in Iowa, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honor society and received a 1956 BA in English and Comparative Literature. He fulfilled his military obligation with the U.S. Army Reserve and was honorably discharge in 1963.

Continuing his literary studies at Indiana University, he completed all the course work for a PhD but stopped short of completing a dissertation when he decided against a career in teaching. In 1963 he moved to Chicago and began a career as an editor of education materials, first with Society for Visual Education, then with Science Research Associates, a subsidiary of IBM.

After 24 years with SRA, George took early retirement at age 58. For a few years thereafter he continued working for various publishers on a freelance basis but soon settled into full retirement, a long and rewarding period given to travel, gardening, reading, concert-going, and volunteer work. His dahlias, carefully cultivated in five raised beds at the back of his property in Wilmette, were his pride and joy, and a delight to his neighbors.

George loved classical music and was a regular subscriber and supporter of both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera of Chicago. As an animal lover, he regular donated to animal welfare and environmental protection causes. He volunteered for several years a Felines and Canines on Devon Ave. in Chicago. He also supported American veterans’ groups and groups that assist the elderly and sick.

George had a quiet personality and enjoyed times of solitude as well as limited social activity. Raised in the Methodist faith, he believed in Christian principles, but was not drawn to church-going or religious rites. From his twenties onward, he maintained no denominational affiliation. He requested that there be no memorial gatherings or religious rites following his death. George was preceded in death by his only sibling, William Ewing Paterson, Jr., of Webster Groves, Mo. (1933-82). He is survived by his loving and much-loved partner of 47 years, Allen J. Frantzen. Donations in George’s memory may be made to such groups as the Anti-Cruelty Society, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, or similar organizations.

2026
The end of July
is always going to be a sad time. The garden and raised beds are the best
memorial posssible for George Paterson, who died July 18 here at home.
Picture above from late June 2026.

August 10, 2026