Neil Barnard Atherley-Patterson Obituary

October 15, 1933 - March 7, 2023

Hillsborough, North Carolina - Neil Barnard Atherley-Patterson died on March 7, 2023 in the hospital, three days after a fall. He was born October 15, 1933 in Toronto, Ontario, to English parents, the youngest of four sons. He described his childhood as one of "lonely freedom" remembering that while he was much doted upon by older brothers he spent a lot of time on his own in the ravine behind their house in Rosedale. His creative parents upholstered furniture and stenciled rugs, played piano and made sculpture and required that their sons speak impeccable English, have excellent table manners and polish the brass. Although he did not master reading until age nine, he became an assiduous reader, often moving a card under the lines of the page. At fourteen he was reading each book his father read as soon as his father finished it. At sixteen he began doing The Royal Canadian Air Force exercises. Neil continued until his mid 80s to start every day with a rigorous exercise routine, then a hot shower followed by 2 minutes of cold water. Following in the footsteps of his brother, Lee Patterson, he worked as an actor for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation until he spotted an ad in the Globe and Mail for a job selling textbooks across Canada. Neil read the textbooks while on the road thereby educating himself in the sciences, while also gaining an edge over other salesmen. By the time he was 27 he was Managing Editor of the entire McGraw Hill Canadian publishing program. Two years later he was offered the position of Social Science editor in the New York office of McGraw Hill but chose instead to join a new company, W A Benjamin. His illustrious career as a science publisher was launched here with the 1965 publication of one of the most critical books in the field of science, The Molecular Biology of The Gene (James D Watson) and ending with How Life Works, Morris et al, conceived by Neil in 2000 and published by MacMillan in 2011, now in its 4th edition. His aesthetic, working in collaboration with Malcolm Grear, changed the look of textbooks into objects of beauty.

Neil's second career, that of a visual artist, began in his 80s. Perhaps because of changes that were happening in the structure of his brain he became less able to follow particle physics and cell biology and more and more interested in following shape and color, spending 5 or 6 hours a day at his desk drawing what became extraordinarily spatial and complex abstract panels. His two gallery shows in Chapel Hill, NC opened with standing room only. His work found its way into many private collections and the NC State Gregg Museum.

Neil was described as elegant by any person who ever met him, as eloquent and brilliant, but is remembered equally for his profound kindness. He was an enthusiastic cheerleader for anyone seeking to begin a new venture, to forge a new path. Dapper, wearing shoes that looked like they belonged to Fred Astaire, he never hesitated to give money or rides to strangers.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Ippy (Barbara) Tarleton Patterson; their son Grear Tarleton Patterson (Estefania Argelich) of Tarragona, Spain; his stepdaughter Pilar Gizzi of South Portland, Maine; his daughter Tove Patterson of Crescent City, California; his daughter Julia Benty (Russell) of Victoria Island, Canada; his daughter Fiona Wilson of St. Louis, Missouri; his neice Carol Patterson (Shoni Ben-Israel ) of Tel-Aviv, Israel; his sister-in-law Mollie Patterson of Toronto, Ontario and six grandchildren, some of whom he had the pleasure of knowing and beholding towards the end of his life, Hollis, Cy and Gia.

Published by The News & Observer on Mar. 15, 2023.