Melinda "Mendy" Durham Patterson, 52, of Lancaster, South Carolina passed away in the presence of family and friends.
Mendy was born on November 14, 1971, in Salisbury, Maryland, daughter of Donald Durham and Beverly Durham. She spent her childhood in Salisbury and graduated from Parkside High School where she was a member of the Tennis Team and active in various clubs, including Yearbook and Photography. Mendy graduated from UNC Greensboro and chose Greensboro as her new home. She was a member of the Greensboro Jaycees where she chaired various projects and was a member of the Executive Committee for the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic (now the Wyndham Championship). Through her time at UNCG, her work and with the Jaycees, Mendy formed many lifelong friendships. From the moment each one entered the world, Mendy was a proud and loving aunt to her nieces and nephew in Charlotte.
Mendy later reconnected with a friend from high school and, in 2015, married Tim Patterson and relocated to Parkton, Maryland. Mendy and Tim spent many happy years together initially traveling, riding historic trains, and always serving as devoted aunt and uncle to Tim's nieces and nephew. In addition to working in medical sales, Mendy became deeply engaged in her church and community activities, including serving on the Holiday House Team, Administrative Council, heading up the Care Ministry, and helping Tim with leading the Middle School Sunday School at Hereford Faith and Life Church. She later enjoyed attending services at Heartland Church alongside Tim's family. Following Tim's passing in late 2022, Mendy decided to relocate to South Carolina to start a new adventure closer to family in Charlotte.
Mendy was a kind soul who was always there to help, even if that help might have come with some complimentary snark. She loved to hike and enjoyed nature and photography. There was no better therapy for Mendy than sitting on a beach with her toes in the sand and a good book in her hand. She enjoyed meeting new people no matter the circumstances and collected friends wherever she went. Mendy was a beloved wife, aunt, sister, daughter and most importantly a fierce and loyal friend.
Mendy's loss will be felt deeply by her parents, Donald and Beverly Durham; her brother Brett Durham and his wife Julie and their children, Kate, Ben, and Emily; her in-laws Bruce and Susan Patterson and Charles and Patricia Frederick; her sister-in-law Mandy Myrick and her husband Brian and their children Brayden, Reagan, and Madison; her pup, Riley; and a host of numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. We were all better for having known her.
A service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, June 3rd at Community Church at Lake Wylie. A reception will follow at the Church.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to LifeShare of the Carolinas (www.lifesharecarolinas.org), the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org).
