Patrick M. Dering's Obituary
Patrick M. Dering was born on October 2, 1934 in Portland, Oregon to Mike P. & Amy Kendall Dering.
He died at a Portland hospital on June 28, 2008 at the age of 73 from injuries suffered in a single car accident in May.
He was raised in Scappoose and graduated from Scappoose Hi in '52 awarded the "Most Likeable Male Student". He was sophmore class president, student body president, captain of the football team for 4 years, and he lettered in baseball as team catcher.
He went onto college at Willamette University-in his freshman year he pledged in Siman Chi and played right guard on the football team, catcher on the baseball team. He graduated from Oregon state in 1957 on the Dean's list with a GPA of 3.8.
In 1957 he joined the family business Petersen & Dering Wholesale Rose Growers at one time the largest Rose grower in the US not knowing at the time-March of '57 in the year of his graduation from Oregon State, mother nature devistated 2 years of the rose crops. A frenze trying to save the business and 250 employees jobs and the doors later closed in 1965.
He was president of the Oregon Nurserymans Association and in 1965 was slated to become the National Nurserymans Association president.
In 1972 he moved to Denver, CO. attending Denver University, graduating with an assistant degree in Hotel management. Soon after graduation he was working for Hyatt Regency in San Francisco. After 7 years in California he returned home to start his own landscape business-Suburban Landscaping in Beaverton/Portland.
He loved to hunt, fish and race his dragster.
He has lived the last 6 years in Canby with his signifigant other: Carol Stone.
Other survivors include: Son: Michael Dering Lois of St. Helens; Daughter: Kathleen Dering of Washougal, WA.; 2 sisters: Mickey Mac of Hillsboro; Ava Dering of Arizona. 1 grandson. Preceded in death by parents, an infant son Sean in '66; son: Kelly in '91, sister: Shannon White; brother: Albert Dering.
Graveside service & interment: Columbia Memorial Gardens-Scappoose, OR. Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 10:00 AM, followed by a reception at the Village Inn.
on-line condolences may be made to the family at www.columbiafh.com
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Columbia Funeral Home-Directors
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