Arthur "Buz" Lee Patterson

Arthur "Buz" Lee Patterson passed on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the age of 75.

In Buz's words...

I was born in Arkansas, but I grew up in Texas. I was in the military there and served in Viet Nam. After the military I made my way north for work, ending up in Minnesota where I had an over-the-road driving job. I live in Cambridge now, and am married to Alice, the love of my life, the glow of my life.

We have a Winnebago and we usually leave for the winters; we've gone all around, but we have a spot in New Mexico. And we come back to Minnesota for the summers; we have a place right next to Lake Mille Lacs, where we can watch the sunrise over the lake. I have a trike there that I built, a motorized three-wheeler with a VW engine. I worked on my own motorcycles all my life; I learned a lot being a gopher for my dad when he worked on cars.

Alice and I have two dogs. Hers is 6 pounds, and mine is 65. She kennels them when I have dialysis. We have a separate room for that, and Alice fixes up the IV and gets everything set up. She knows the names of all my medicines, and what they're for-there are 16-and she comes to all my appointments at the VA. If it weren't for her, I'd be dead a long time ago. My kids love her too.

I have two kids and I'm proud of both of them. My son, Patt, is a master sergeant in the National Guard-you have to be in a while and do a lot of good things to get to master sergeant. He works in tool and dye.

My daughter, Tammy, is a chef. She went to culinary school at Hennepin Tech while she was still in high school, and she works at a startup restaurant that's got a food truck, brewery, and wine bar.

And I have three sisters. The middle one, Jeannie, was 78 and passed away unexpectedly this past year. I talk to the youngest on the phone and the oldest, who's 80, calls almost every other day.

A gathering will be held at a later date.

"It's been a helluva ride."