Inez Williams Patterson was born on May 12, 1926 at University Hospital in Cleveland Ohio to Ester Williams (29 yrs old), born in Pembrough, Kentucky, and Benjamin Williams (age 44), from Baton Rouge, Louisana. Inez was the 3rd. of Ester and Ben Williams’ children. She was preceded by daughers Ruth (b. 1917) and Hazel (b. 1922). Ben was a laborer, who Ester divorced in the late 1920s at the beginning of the Great Depression. Ben passed away in 1937 after a fatal accident at a local construction site. Ester (b. 1896), married Thomas Tuck in the early 1930’s and had 2 more children, Elizabeth (b. 1933) and Thomas Jr. (b. 1935).
In June 1944, Inez graduated from Central High School, exceling in Latin and Mathematics, especially Algebra. She wanted desperately to attend college but was victimized by the American racial caste system by her Caucasian guidance counselors. Seeing an African-American female, they were programmed to suggest she pursue a more “practical” career path for minority females, becoming a housewife in post-WWII White America. Instead, Inez entered the US government industrial workforce as a teenager in a Cleveland defense plant. She became one of the revered “Rosie the Riveter” factory employees who manufactured B-29 bomber aircraft parts.
In June 1945, Inez married Joseph F. Patterson Sr., a regional champion AAU amateur featherweight boxer who had graduated from Cleveland East Technical High School in June 1940. Joe Sr. served as a US Army shipping clerk during WWII in Germany through V-E Day on May 8, 1945. Inez and Joe Sr. had 2 sons — Joe Jr “Butch” (b. 8/26/47) and John Curtiss “Corky” (b. 6/2/50). Joe Sr. worked as a career mail handler for the US Post Office, while Inez joined the Navy Finance Department as a financial analyst.
While Joe Sr. emphasized teaching self-defense skills to his boys, Inez stressed academic achievement in the development of both sons. She took the lead in carefully nurturing them to move beyond the barriers presented by the American racial caste system which had blocked her from advanced scholastic opportunities. She insisted on feeding her infant sons freshly cooked and strained vegetables and fruits instead of the commercial jarred sugary baby foods. She read Proverbs, Scripture and Aesop’s fable stories to her sons at bedtime in order to stimulate their imaginations and dreams. Her school dress code for them was strictly no blue jeans. White shirts, ties and jackets for church no matter the weather. Although of strong Baptist faith, Inez insisted on Sunday school for her boys at any neighborhood church. She worked and cured the “stuttering” syndrome which had afflicted Joe Jr.’s speech during his early elementary grade school years. Inez successfully coached both sons into becoming straight-A honor students through their elementary school years. As a math whiz, particularly in Algebra, she tutored her sons along with their neighborhood friends. She challenged the Cleveland Board of Education in 1959 and was granted permission for Joe Jr to voluntarily bus himself 2 hours daily outside the 40th Street school district to attend Alexander Hamilton Junior High’s college preparatory program where he graduated co-valedictorian with perfect attendance in 1962.
After living 5 years in a one room boarding house rental, followed by another 10 years in a 3 bedroom, 1 bath home rental (both on East 40th Street), the Pattersons became first-time home owners in May 1963 on Talford Ave. in the Lee/Harvard area on Cleveland’s southeast side. This move was facilitated by Inez monetizing her 10 years of accumulated benefits at the Navy Finance Department. She made a career move as well, becoming a tenured technical support specialist at AT&T over a 21-year period. Inez and Joe Sr. were divorced in 1968.
Inez’s high standards and encouragement were rewarded when both sons graduated in the top 10% of their high school graduating classes and were the first Patterson family members to ever attend college. Joe Jr. graduated from Lawrence University with honors and a BA degree, and later earned an MBA in Real Estate Finance from the Wharton Graduate School (Univ. of PA) after a short stint with the NFL Washington Redskins under Coach Vince Lombardi as an All-American collegiate draft pick. After a 30-year career as a real estate VP for Fortune 20 NYC financial institutions, Joe Jr established an LLC as a real estate consultant in the Greater NYC region. John Curtiss graduated from Ohio University with a BA in English, and a minor in Art. He pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in 1973. He became a regional middleweight boxing and martial arts champion, worked at the Albion House where he was awarded a Leadership Award, and was a Cleveland municipal housing inspector. He had retired from this position after 31 years of loyal service to the City of Cleveland at the time of his passing in January 2018.
Inez decided to retire from AT&T at age 58 in 1984, with a pension and full medical benefits. For several decades, ‘Nez kept busy maintaining her home on Talford Ave. including her rose garden, participating in several Baptist church choirs which led to some interstate travel opportunities, enjoyed her collection of records from the ’40s and ’50s Big Band era, followed the professional tennis careers of the Williams sisters, watched Turner Movie Classics series on TV, and spoiled her visiting grandchildren at every opportunity.
By 2015, upkeep of her Cleveland home had become too challenging. With assistance from Joe Jr., his college sweetheart Mary Mattke, and family friend Gayle Chillious, Inez relocated to independent living at Independence Village in Aurora Ohio on September 15, 2015. Upon moving in, she announced she felt like she “was in heaven”. Later, she transferred to an assisted living apartment. On June 16th, Inez’s condition required hospitalization at Hillcrest Hospital where it was discovered she was Covid-19 positive. She was moved to a rehab facility, eventually to return to Hillcrest Hospital, where a very caring staff attended to her, even playing the big band music she loved so much which really had a positive effect on her. Inez transitioned peacefully early on the morning of August 19th to be with her Lord.
Always concerned about the needs of others, Inez often provided anonymous assistance to needy friends and acquaintances, to children’s causes even making items to address their needs, to churches, and to the Democratic Party. She was a mother who was a woman of faith, courage, strength, independence, principals and devotion to her family above all else. She was willing to stand up and fight for what she felt was right, whether for herself or for others. She will be sorely missed.