Barbara J. Patterson, loved by a host of family & friends. Celebration of Life service will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 27, 2025 at Elizabeth Baptist Church 6114 Frances Ave. Cleveland, OH 44105.  Family will receive friends a half-hour prior to service. Livestreaming will be available at lucasfuneralhome.com. The Family appreciates all gestures of sympathy, including flowers and donations to www.thehavenhome.org. Arrangements entrusted to Lucas Memorial Chapel. Interment will be following the service at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Visitation will be Friday 26th from 5:00-7:00pm at Lucas Memorial Chapel.

A beautiful and radiant soul, Barbara Jean Patterson, age 92, of Cleveland, Ohio, left us for her eternal home with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, on Friday, September 12, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family.

She was born August 6, 1933, in Aragon, Georgia, to Naomi Green and Dudley L. Sledge. Though Dudley was her birth father, Barbara lovingly regarded Rev. Robert E. Croom Sr. as her father, and his guidance shaped her life after marrying the love of his life Naomi Green.

Barbara often spoke with warmth of her childhood on the farm with her grandparents, Elizabeth and Richard Green. She cherished the time spent with her grandfather after his day in the fields was completed to go and fill pails with water from a far-off home. She proudly recalled walking alongside him to carry two heavy pails of water back across the fields to help her family.

During the great migration to the North, Barbara and her family moved to Akron, Ohio. At  South High School, Barbara’s kindness and popularity were clear. In her senior year of 1951, she was voted Homecoming Queen by her classmates. In a time of deep racial division, school officials refused to honor that decision and named another student instead. Barbara, who suddenly was named the runner-up, was asked to place the crown on her classmate’s head. She complied with dignity and grace, leaving an enduring example of quiet strength in the face of injustice.

Barbara married Henry R. Patterson, her former husband. Though their marriage ended, they remained communicable and respectful throughout their lives, united by the love of their children.

While raising her daughters, Barbara became an  entrepreneur, working from home as a seamstress, creating custom draperies for homes across Akron and designing her daughter’s entire wardrobes. They often helped Barb organize sewing notions while she worked. She later became active in her children’s schools, serving as a Homeroom Mother and joining the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Her leadership and dedication led to her election as the first Black and first woman president of the PTA at Schumacher Elementary School.

As thier family grew, Barbara and Henry welcomed their son Bernard, and she began working at Prudential Insurance Company. She advanced from Secretary to Brokerage Assistant, where she worked faithfully for 26 years before retiring. Faith was at the center of Barbara’s life. Her spiritual journey began at St. John C.M.E. Church in Akron where her father was the Pastor. During her marriage, she joined Mt. Zion Baptist Church, serving on the Deaconess Board, as a Missionary Leader, Sunday School Teacher, youth activities chaperone, in the kitchen as needed, and was a member on the church bowling league. She later joined The Chapel in Akron, where she lovingly cared for infants in the Nursery. Her love of music ran deep—Barbara sang with the Thomas A. Dorsey Choir, Akron Chapter and the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir. After moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she joined Bethany Baptist Church under the Pastorate of Dr. William R. Glaze. Even though she was recovering from brain surgery, she helped with special events including the wildly popular “Soup and Crusty Bread” Fundraiser. She was a faithful participant in the Soul Fit Workouts Program at Bethany. Upon settling in Cleveland, she joined her beloved Elizabeth Baptist Church family under the Pastorate of Pastor Richard M. Gibson. She loved the services, participating in the events sponsored by Tres Dias and attending the programs for women residing in the Haven Home Shelter.

Barbara enjoyed traveling on family vacations, sewing, quilting, working puzzles, word searches, and watching game shows. She loved music in all its forms—jazz, soul, R&B, symphonic, and gospel. She also took piano lessons later in life and performed beautifully at her recital. She enjoyed the Cleveland Zoo special events, all outdoor concerts, attending Plays/Shows at the Cleveland Playhouse and shopping.

She is now reunited in everlasting peace with her father and mother Rev. Robert E. Croom, Sr. and Naomi Croom. She is lovingly survived by her children—Myrna Patterson (Richard Johnson), Elder Petrina Patterson, and Bernard Patterson; her siblings—Donald High, Sr., Robert Croom, Jr., and Wendolyn Croom; sister-in-law Juanita Ingram (Paul); cousins James Stocks Jr., Gregory Stocks, Gloria Powell, Alyce Powell, and Patricia Whrighter; and nieces and nephews Myisha Croom-Turner (Dione), Donald High Jr., Damita Cherry (Brian), Karla Robinson (Kenneth), and Randy High.

Barbara’s life was enriched by cherished friends and extended family, including lifelong best friends  Alma Strong  and Pauline Baskett, special friends  Sundra Rumph,  Michele Daniel, La Sonja Smith and  Yvonne Brooks, and extended family Sheila Sullivan, Toni Massengill & Family, neighbors Haskell Russell and Ella Flewellen, Patrice Norris, and her devoted Elizabeth Baptist Church family.

Her favorite scripture was Lamentations 3:23: “Great is thy faithfulness.” Barbara Jean Patterson’s grace, wisdom, and unwavering love remain a lasting light for all who were privileged to know her.