Neil Neil

Neil Patton of Athens, Georgia passed away on October 16th.

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, October 28th in the backyard of his home at 145 Longview Dr., Athens, at 2:00 pm. In the event of inclement weather, we will go inside.

Neil was born on January 1st in in Honolulu, Hawaii, the oldest child of Eleanor Kanoho Becktold and Luther Becktold. He was adopted at age 11 by Billy Patton, his mother's second husband.

As a military family, the Pattons moved around quite a bit, but Neil attended high school and college in California where he became a tennis player. He played tennis for the Navy during the Vietnam War and was a professional tennis player for years, until he retired as a tennis pro in Augusta. A man of many talents, Neil also played drums for several years with different bands and as a studio drummer with Aloha Entertainment in Hawaii. Later, he bought a trucking line and was an owner/operator for some time.

Family members include his wife, Bonnie Cramond, mother-in-law, Lois Cramond, his sons, Cory (Gillian) and Mason (Brittany), and stepchildren Emily (Ben) and Adam. He is also survived by his brothers Robert (Judy) and Michael (Christina), and sisters Lou Ann (Dick), Donnie (Chuck), Eldeen, and Sherrie Ann. He was the proud grandfather of twins, Cullen and Emersyn Patton.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his name to one of the following:
The American Cancer Society https://donate3.cancer.org/?lang=en
The Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia (scholarships for needy students to attend enrichment programs) https://gail.uga.edu/give?id=a543bf6b-5522-4ed8-92b4-7e3b94871793
The Hoa E�A�ina O MA�kaha (educational program for high school students from WaiE�anae and NA�nA�kuli, Hawaii to learn to care about themselves and the land using traditional Hawaiian values http://www.hoaainaomakaha.org/support-2/donate/)