Douglas Anthony Patterson

Douglas Anthony Patterson was born December 14, 1962 in Burlington, North Carolina. He is the son of Maggie Jane McNeill Craigmiles and John Wesley Patterson. He was called home October 31, 2026 at the AuthoraCare Collective in Burlington with his family by his side.

Douglas was predeceased by his brother‘s James “Peter Rabbit” Patterson, (Angie), Larry “Jay Bird” Patterson and Howard Kermit ”Mac” Patterson, his parents Maggie Jane McNeill-Craigmiles and John Wesley Patterson, a father-in-law Marvin Dietlin and two nieces and a nephew.

Doug or Dougie as most people called him is survived by his wife of 30 years, Paula Patterson, son Gregory Smith(Latonda), daughter Ashleigh Patterson, and grandson Gregory Smith Junior. He’s also survived by his siblings Darell Patterson(Nancy) of Burlington NC, and Meco Woodbury (Kevin), Toni Greir (Pastor Michael Grier) Christoper Craigmiles(Euronda), Mary Craigmiles, Kimyatta Willis(David) all from Michigan.

Doug will be missed by his many in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins most of whom live in North Carolina and Michigan. They will fondly remember Dougie for his love of music, sports cars, scooters, video games and movies.

Doug retired from Customs and Border Protection in 2022. He served the community with over 25 years in law-enforcement. Over his career, he worked for several local departments, including Alamance Sheriff Department, Mebane Police Department, and Hillsborough Police Department. Doug considered it a great honor to serve the people at the local and federal level.

Climax and Julian North Carolina were home until his mother moved the family to Detroit in the early 1970s. There Doug attended Eastern High School. Doug met Paula at Marygrove College in 1985. They have supported each other throughout their lives ever since. Doug graduated from Marygrove college in Detroit Michigan with a bachelors degree in Psychology in 1993. In 1995 he returned home to the state of his childhood.

Doug’s many talents. He loved music and taught himself how to play several instruments and recorded many pieces. His club music is well known in the U.S. as well as in Europe. He loved history, law and genealogy research. He supported several native tribes with research. His leadership as a member included sitting on the tribal council of the Meherrin-Chowanoke tribe. He wrote state petitions for recognition. He was a representative on the Bureau of Indian affairs for three years in Raleigh. Doug also wrote and produced a documentary called the Chowanoke Nation Project. This project documented the history of the tribe and its local area of Hertford County, NC. His creative works included writing Native Tales, a collection of children’s stories written by him and read by elders from several different North Carolina tribes. He wanted the stories to be available in print as well as the traditional oral tales. He always had a project going; creating music or supporting other artists. He loved learning something new every day. He could be quoted saying “eating and sleeping are inconveniences that take too much time.”

Doug will be best known as Dougie a baseball cap wearer, the lover of action movies and a man that challenged anyone with a good prank. Friends and family will miss his long calls made during his daily commute, his commentary on movies and politics and his advice on all topics. Although our hearts are heavy now, he would tell us to pick up where he left off and carry on until we meet again.

The family will receive friends on Friday, November 6, 2026 from 5 pm - 7 pm at McClure Funeral Service in Graham.  A funeral service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, November 7, 2026 at St. John's Baptist Church in Climax, NC.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery.