For more than 25 years, volunteer Barbara Patten rolled her art cart into classrooms at Marion Jordan School in Palatine. “She brought pictures, books, replicas of paintings and stories,” her daughter-in-law, Susan, said. She shared her fascination with Egyptian pyramids and cave drawings. Mrs. Patten, 90, died of cancer Saturday, Sept. 18, in her Palatine home. Born Barbara Bischoff in Oak Park, she graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School and earned a degree in geology from the University of Illinois. A Joan Crawford look-alike and member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, she was nominated for prom queen at the university, where she also met her husband, Charles Sr. They were married in 1940. A WWII Army Air Forces pilot, he was missing in action as a prisoner of war for more than two years, during which time Mrs. Patten raised their only son, Charles Jr. A homemaker who was clever and familiar with childhood antics, she was nicknamed “The Fox” by her son’s friends. “She always knew what we were planning on doing and kept us out of trouble because of it,” her son said. In 1946, she and her family moved into the Patten family home in Palatine, built in 1898 by Charles Hutchinson Patten, her husband’s grandfather. An image of the house is part of the village’s logo. “She was committed to preserving the house because her husband loved it, and she made it a wonderful home for nearly 60 years,” her daughter-in-law said. Her husband died in 1997. She was a member of the Infant Welfare Society for more than 30 years and a member of the Questors, an antiques club. She traveled extensively, and 15 years ago she visited China for an archeological dig. She raised and sold three litters of Labrador retrievers, but each time she kept one puppy for herself. In addition to her son, survivors include two granddaughters and two great-granddaughters. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Ahlgrim Family Funeral Home, 201 N. Northwest Highway, Palatine.
