He started First National Bank of Brooksville in 1967, turning it into a respected competitor in the area banking market.
By COLLEEN JENKINS
Published September 9, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - W. Earl Patterson, the aggressive, respected president of First National Bank of Brooksville for nearly two decades, died Monday (Sept. 6, 2004) at his Brooksville home. He was 76.
Friends of the longtime banker said Wednesday he had been in declining health for several years. But they remembered Mr. Patterson, who opened First National Bank of Brooksville in 1967, as a man who kept a relatively low profile while guiding a successful, competitive bank.
"I knew him as a very qualified and quality competitor here in the marketplace," said Jim Kimbrough, a lifelong county resident and SunTrust Bank/Nature Coast chief executive. "He did an outstanding job for his company in building that bank's presence here in Hernando County."
Mr. Patterson, a third generation Floridian born in Lakeland, worked as a bank examiner following his graduation from the University of Florida and Louisiana State University's School of Banking.
He capped his almost 40-year banking career in 1967, when he was tapped by his company's Tampa leadership to help organize a new bank in Brooksville. The son of a former Brooksville banker was given a chance to lead his own bank.
Mr. Patterson fulfilled his role effectively, said friends like Max Register, who served on First National Bank of Brooksville's board with Mr. Patterson for 15 years and frequently played golf with him.
"He was a very astute banker," said Register, who owns Register Chevrolet in Brooksville. "He was very well-liked."
After seeing the bank through several ownership changes - it now is part of Bank of America - Mr. Patterson retired in 1985.
Following his retirement, the U.S. Navy veteran remained active in his community as a member of Rotary Club and a trustee and deacon at First Baptist Church of Brooksville.
Because Tropical Storm Frances left First Baptist without power this week, Mr. Patterson's funeral service will be held today at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church in Brooksville.
Burial will follow immediately at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.
Mr. Patterson is survived by his wife, Kay; son, Bill of Erie, Colo.; daughters, Carol Schulz of Brazil, Susan Adam of Centerville, Va., Mary Beth Patterson of Galveston, Texas, and Karen Askey of Brandon; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
