The following was posted online by the Bird Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy. Pattengill also worked as the supervisor of maintenance and security at Jay Heritage Center.
With profound sadness, we report that Jon Pattengill, our longtime volunteer and dear friend, died of cancer at Greenwich Hospital on the morning of Dec. 31. His contributions to the Bird Homestead and Meeting House were immense — from his experienced knowledge of historic buildings, to proof-reading with his consummate knowledge of the English language, to setting up for programs, to elevating heavy items when flooding threatened (doing this alone as if by magic), to using his surveying skills to draw important maps and diagrams, and much more. With clipboard in hand and a ready smile, he gladly did whatever was needed. His resourcefulness at solving problems was beyond compare.
He was a lifelong resident of Rye. He had fond memories of Miss Bird from his childhood when she was Rye’s beloved children’s librarian. He was extraordinarily kind to birds and other animals. He was also a scholar of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. In recent years, the Rye Arts Center recognized his vast knowledge of cuneiform. He taught students there to write cuneiform on clay with a stylus and developed a following. His own clay tablets were beautiful as well as perfectly executed.
As a young man working at Wainwright House on maintenance, his boss, John Hewitt, called him, “the indispensable man.” He was our indispensable man, too.
We will miss him deeply.
