Peggy Ann Volk Patterson

She was born in New Orleans on January 31, 1949, was a graduate of Fortier High School, and worked for 25 years at the Southeast Louisiana Girl Scout Council, where she managed the Council Shop and oversaw the sale of cookies, uniforms, and badges. She was preceded in death by her father, Jerome Milton Volk, Sr.; her mother, Frances Macaluso Volk; and her husband, Richard Joseph Patterson, to whom she was married for 40 years. She is survived by her son Sean Michael Patterson, her daughter-in-law Camilla Ann West, and her grandson Finnian Rhys Patterson, who was the light of her life. She is also survived by her siblings Barbara Volk Hornstein (and brother-in-law Bob) and Jerome M. Volk, Jr. (and sister-in-law Susan), as well as a host of nieces and nephews, including greats and great-greats.

Peggy enjoyed word-searches, Hallmark movies, and the great literary works of Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins Clark, and Danielle Steel. She was a connoisseur of the fine programming of both the Game Show Network and the Food Network, and she never met a cake-decorating challenge show that she didn’t like. She also was a gifted crochet artist, and over the years many babies in the family were swaddled in her handmade afghans. She was a frequent theatregoer due to the involvement of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in the theatre; and she happily endured countless performances of Shakespeare, musicals, and school plays, as long as there was a matinee so she wouldn’t have to drive at night.

An enthusiastic supporter of the New Orleans Saints, both in good times and in bad, Peggy was also a devotee of Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken for over fifty years. However, if she couldn’t get Popeyes, the deli fried chicken from Rouses would do in a pinch. With a birthday that always fell during Carnival season, Peggy deeply appreciated the seasonal allure of king cake for breakfast; but she never cited a favorite king cake, because she loved them all. She loved to cook for her family, everything from red beans and rice to “daube in red gravy,” and she made minor miracles happen in her impossibly tiny galley kitchen. Her tuna-and-noodle casserole was her son’s traditional birthday dish; her potato salad was a longtime fixture at family gatherings; and her baked macaroni was a wonder. She also made terrific fried fish, often from the fresh catch she and her husband brought home from their weekend fishing trips down in Empire, which they enjoyed together for a number of years.

Peggy was easygoing, lighthearted, and selfless in service to others. It is a testament to Peggy’s character that the most common word used to describe her by the medical professionals who cared for her is “sweet.” And she was. We were lucky to have her in our lives for so long. The family wishes to acknowledge the staff of both Fresenius Kidney Care Kenner and Fresenius Kidney Care Gentilly for a combined ten years of supportive dialysis care, and the ICU team at East Jefferson General Hospital for everything they did for Peggy in her final days. At her request, she has been cremated, and a memorial will follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her name to Girl Scouts Louisiana East (https://girlscoutslouisianaeast-bloom.kindful.com/embeds/7b5d89ed-0c6b-4a70-915f-532cf9ce3097), Metairie Park Country Day School (https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/39936/donations/new?a=7038229), or any other charity you prefer.