Dorothy Elizabeth Patterson Tate passed from this life at Haven Hospice in Gainesville, FL, August 1, 2015. She is now reunited with the love of her life, Dr. John D. Tate, to whom she was devoted since the age of fourteen. Mrs. Tate was born in Abbeville County, SC, on August 7, 1925, the daughter of Grady Leslie and Claudia McClain Patterson. After attending Erskine College, she returned to Calhoun Falls to wait on her betrothed to finish medical school. She worked in retail and drove her future father-in-law, Dr. J. V. Tate, on house calls. After medical school, the couple moved to Greenville, SC, where Dr. Tate completed his residency. Following a brief practice in Calhoun Falls, they moved to Rome, GA, where she raised their four children, each born around a year apart, and where Dr. Tate practiced general medicine and surgery until his retirement in 1988. People were attracted to Mrs. Tate for her warm hospitality, good food, and infectious laughter. Scores of her children’s friends knew her as “Mama Tate.” While in Rome, she was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, where she sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. She was active in the Rome community, enjoying membership in various social organizations. She especially enjoyed playing Bridge with good friends. In retirement, the couple lived part-time in Calhoun Falls –attending Calhoun Falls Presbyterian Church — Highlands, NC, and Bradenton, FL. In 2004, they moved to Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, Gainesville. A reluctant traveler, Mrs. Tate dutifully accompanied her husband on a number of trips across the United States and abroad. Mrs. Tate will be most remembered as a devoted mother and grandmother, as well as generously embracing her large extended family of 18 nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Tate was preceded in death by two brothers, Grady L. Patterson, Jr. and Allen “Chunk” Patterson. She is survived by one brother, Billy Patterson, Calhoun Falls, one son John D. “Drew” Tate, Jr. (Jane), Rome, GA and three daughters, Shirley Tate Wood (Tim), Gainesville, FL, Alice Tate Barnett (Bill), Lake Mary, FL, and Ann Tate McGehee Dickinson (Blair), Cairo, GA. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the Calhoun Falls Presbyterian Church, Saturday, August 8, 2:00 p.m. The family would like to express their gratitude for the care given Mrs. Tate by the staff of Oak Hammock at the University of Florida and Haven Hospice, both in Gainesville. The family is also indebted to Marscella Tillman, Gainesville, for her constant love and care for both Dr. and Mrs. Tate in the last years of their lives. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Calhoun Falls Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 426, Calhoun Falls, SC 29628 or Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1941 Shorter Avenue, Rome, GA 30165.
