Carmella was born in Michigan October 9, 1950. She died January 29, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. She is survived by her husband of nearly 40 years (March 8, 1980), Sam Patterson, her son Jean Michel, her loyal companion Bodie, and a large number of dear friends, many of whom have been life-long friends.

She was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses December 14,1975 and was an active member of the Ballard congregation in Seattle. In the mid 1970's she began to work with disabled adults. Later she studied massage and became a licensed massage practitioner in 1993, and continued to practice until her death.

Carmella maintained strong friendship with childhood friends. Even though many have moved away even to other states, she regularly called or visited with them.

Carmella also developed friendship with like-minded ladies, the Red Hat Women. She enjoyed crocheting and, for a time attended meetings with other crafters.

Over the last 40 plus years, Carmella attended weekly meetings of the Ballard Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and actively participated in being educated by the Bible and educating others about the Bible, something she felt was part of her worship of the Creator, who's name she knew as Jehovah. Many of her friends remember visiting with her before and after the meetings, hearing her heartfelt comments during the meeting, as well as spending time with her socially. We have come to love Carmella as our sister.

A number of friends have offered their thoughts about what kind of person she was to them, and there were some descriptive words that consistently came up that really help define the type of person she was. The word cloud above are all words that close friends used to describe Carmella.

Colorful: That could apply to the clothes that she wore (purple, red) but also her personality. If facial expressions and the emotions that we use when we speak could be related to colors, Carmella's way of communicating was very colorful.

Kind, Loving, Friendly, Giving, Concerned, Interested, Complimentary, Neighborly: We can't all say that Carmella was our Best Friend, but I'm sure we can all agree that these qualities that she was known for made her the best kind of friend. Notice how one friend described Carmella's reputation, she wrote,

"Wherever there was Carmella, there was love. Everybody was family, and she looked for the specialness in each person that made them them. It was 20 years ago, but I still remember a simple moment with a group of young friends where, with each hug, she told us why she loved us. I love you because you're warm, I love you because you're smart, I love you because you're funny. I'll always remember why she said she loved me.
Carmella could grab your hand and message it so casually it was like breathing to her. Her compassion for people and devotion to Jehovah is what I will always remember."

Another expressed, "One thing Carmella did was touch people's hearts. She was friendly, and loved people, no matter who they were, where they came from. She didn't look at the outside or labels. She treated all people with kindness and respect."

Touch: Carmella touched people's hearts. She looked for the core values in a person, who they wanted to be, and acknowledged those values. How encouraging those comments would be.

When it comes to touch though, I can't think of a more poetic and appropriate way to describe Carmella than how our sister put it: Holding our hand was as natural, as involuntary, and necessary to her as is breathing to all of us. It seemed like simultaneously, the moment her eyes met yours, her hand would reach out to hold your hand. It was natural for her, but not always comfortable for the rest of us; especially us non-touchy nordic folk. But we all understood why she took our hand. It was her way of showing she cared. It was also her way of feeling a connection to people; something that she desperately needed.

Jehovah: One trait that was commented on and can't be overlooked was her love for and devotion to Jehovah. She did her best to live according to the Bible's standards and principles. She also showed obedience to the direction we're given to teach others from the Bible about God's Kingdom and sharing a hope for the future. Carmella served for a few years in the full time ministry.

She loved the ministry, but realized that she had to balance that zeal with other necessary parts of her life. About seven years ago, Sam had a major stroke leaving him severely disabled, and has been living in a nursing home since. Carmella adjusted her ministry and work schedule to care for Sam at the nursing home nearly every day. Her loyalty and fierce devotion to Sam never waivered even when she was hospitalized for a short time in 2014.

Carmella taught others what the Bible says about the condition of the dead found at Ecclesiastes 9: 5,10 - "the dead no nothing at all". As Jesus explained, it as being in a deep sleep. (John 11:11-14). Her hope was to come back to life in a paradise Earth to rejoin her friends and family in perfect life.