Anita A. Patterson died this past Wednesday, July 13, 2011, at Ashton Healthcare in Athens, PA. She was 77. Anita (known in her younger years as Neta) was born in Sayre, graduated from Union Endicott High School and attended Ogden School of Nursing. She married and had two cherished daughters. Anita and her family moved frequently due to work. Anita’s survival approach to all of the moves was simple: sew curtains to make it feel like home; find a worthy cause and get busy changing things for the better; and direct a choir to make angelic music. Anita’s love of choral music touched countless lives. If you were blessed to have sung with her, you would agree she had an extraordinary gift to lead others in fellowship for the pursuit of creating beautiful music. Anita welcomed all singers, saying "Give them a taste of the Lord’s music and later in life they will come back to it." Anita directed many local and church choirs around the U.S., including Athens United Presbyterian Church, Sayre United Methodist Church and Athens United Methodist Church where at the latter, she created a very popular and devoted children’s choir. She also had a beautiful voice and performed as a soloist on many occasions. Anita’s memberships included President of the PTA, Rockledge, FL; President of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce; President of the Greater Valley Community Chorus; Polyhymnia Club of Waverly, NY; Franconians Music Club of Athens and Sayre, PA; Overtones Adult Handbell Choir; Sayre High Music Boosters; and the Republican and Democratic Parties. One of her proudest political contributions was working on the successful write-in campaign to elect Robert "Bob" P. Horton as Bradford County Commissioner in 1983. Anita is predeceased by her parents, Edward Patterson and Leah Alda Williams Patterson, Aunt Augusta Williams (Finch), and Great Aunt Tessa Moyer. Anita is survived by her brothers Frank (Carol) Patterson of Van Etten and Rodney Patterson, daughters Tessa Alburn of Petaluma, CA and Susan (John) Alborn Hackman of Oxford, MD, grandchildren Liza and Gabriel Hackman, and several nephews and cousins. The family will hold a memorial celebration service in the fall, which was Anita’s favorite time of the year.