June 27, 1940 – July 21, 2026
Marvin “Marv” Patterson passed away on July 21, 2026, at his home in Clive, IA. Born on June 27, 1940, in Ontario, OR, and raised in Washington, he maintained a lifelong connection to the Pacific Northwest, even after moving to the Midwest. Marv beautifully defined his life through his three greatest passions: his career as an electrical engineer, his deep love for his wife Mary Lou and their family, and his joy of flying as a pilot.
After graduating from the University of Washington and launching his career at the Pt Mugu Pacific Missile Range, Marv began a highly successful, decades-long tenure at Hewlett-Packard, where he developed market-leading plotters and eventually served as Director of Corporate Engineering. Following his time at HP, his career evolved into running his own consulting business and authoring three books focused on product development and innovation. During his retirement he transitioned into academia, teaching continuing education courses at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, and various online programs.
Marv was a deeply devoted father and uncle who bonded with his children over shared activities, summer nights reading J.R.R. Tolkien, and a lifelong passion for flying. While working at HP, he met Mary Lou Simmermacher. That meeting blossomed into a deep, enduring love and marriage. Together, they blended their families into a tight-knit household of seven, woven together by humor, affection, and aviation.
Marv earned the first of his three pilot’s licenses shortly after starting work at Pt Mugu. This ignited a lifelong love for aviation. He took great joy in deeply understanding the complex aerodynamics of flight and spent countless hours perfecting his piloting technique. He transformed family vacations by trading the traditional car for an airplane and transporting his loved ones across the skies. As a consultant, he took immense pride in piloting himself to business assignments, famously delighting in stunning Xerox and other clients by landing at small private airfields when major commercial airports were closed by winter storms.
At the age of 86 Marv passed peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family. Marv is survived by his wife Mary Lou; his children Brad, Brian (and Patricia) and Bonnie (and Mike); his stepchildren Daryl (and Raj) and Craig (and Kelley); his grandchildren Sean, Molly, Lily and Will; and his nieces and nephews, Rhonda, Ron, Randy, Roger and Linda.
All family, friends, and colleagues are welcome to join the Celebration of Life.
November 20, 2026 10:30am PST
Los Altos United Methodist Church
655 Magdalena Ave. Los Altos, CA 94024
