Published in the Oct. 1-13, 21014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By John Horner
One of the great privileges of my job is that I get the chance to know numerous interesting, passionate, involved and effective people throughout our community. Even among the many extraordinary people of Morgan Hill, Doris Patterson stood out as a shining beacon of what is possible as a business person and involved human being.
Doris Patterson
Doris passed away peacefully in her sleep after a brief illness Sept. 5. She is survived by her three children, Sharon Castillo, Ross Jernigan and Jay Jernigan, and four grandchildren, Dionne Obeso, Tom Jernigan, Melissa Jernigan and Meghan Jernigan; and one great-grandchild, Michael Obeso. Her children were with her when she passed.
I’ll always remember Doris as a confident, intelligent and independent woman. And she was a hard worker. She had many careers in her life, starting as a secretary with NASA and ending as CEO and chairman of Smart Products, Inc., a Morgan Hill pump and valve manufacturing company which was the Chamber’s selection for business of the year in 2013. Along the way, she earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Santa Clara University.
Doris loved to dance and competed in ball room dancing for a number of years, talented enough to win many trophies. She also traveled the world, exploring Europe and other new places, and especially enjoying shops and boutiques.
Doris was also a philanthropist and gave much of her time to charitable causes. She was a Rotarian in Morgan Hill and had many friends in the local club.
On the business side of life, Doris spoke often of the question she got over the years as the owner of a high-tech manufacturing company. People often asked her what made her think she was qualified to buy, build and operate Smart Products. Her answer was always the same: “What makes you think I’m not qualified?” What a perfect response. Clearly, Doris was more than qualified, and even asking the question was an insult.
Most remarkable, however, is the reason she gave for buying and building this company: “I did it to pull my family together.” Wow, talk about going against stereotypes. Ask most people about having multiple family members deeply involved in a business, and you will hear about how hard it is to balance family dynamics with business necessities. But Doris, true to form, flipped the conventional wisdom on its head. What better way to pull a family together than through the effort required to build a thriving enterprise?
The business the family built together not only supports many employees, but is also an outstanding member of the larger community through participation in, and contribution to, local community building and caring agencies and groups. For example, when the local El Toro Youth Center faced potential closure, Smart Products was quietly there with funds to keep the doors open. This sort of non-grandstanding support of greater Morgan Hill is a fundamental part of an enduring legacy left behind by this extraordinary woman. Doris, you will always be missed, but never forgotten.
John Horner is the CEO/President of the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce.
