Sandy Patterson (left) and Stacie McGrady showing the plumbing work needed in Patterson’s kitchen. Photo by Ariana Rivera
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Sandy Patterson (left) and Stacie McGrady showing the plumbing work needed in Patterson’s kitchen. Photo by Ariana Rivera
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This article was written by BenitoLink intern Ariana Rivera. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Sandy Patterson has called Hollister home for more than 50 years and devoted herself to public service. She even made history by serving as the county’s first female Sheriff’s deputy.
In a challenging phase of her life, she is now seeking community support after a 2024 fire almost destroyed her mobile home.
Patterson has been couch-surfing since last December. Although her sister, Sheila Patterson, has offered her home in Gilroy to Patterson, she said she wanted to remain near her home.
Patterson said her family, along with community members, have been helpful in cleaning out her home, which she bought with her late husband, Dale Jamarck. They’ve also helped her make it a livable space again.
“That was the only place that my husband and I bought together, and I want to be back in my home where Dale was,” she said.
Patterson encountered further difficulties when she learned that her USAA home insurance went unpaid following Jamarck’s death and was eventually cancelled. Jamarck died in 2023. He was a veteran and retired firefighter.
Friends and community members have volunteered their time and donated money. A lot has been done to repair the home on Fairview Road, including the roof and front door, but there is much work that remains.
Lynn Hilden, who serves on the San Benito County Civil Grand Jury with Patterson, is among the community members who volunteered their time and donated money to the project.
“Anybody that has a fire, if I could do something to help, I would help,” Hilden said. “And knowing her, it was like, of course I’m gonna offer to help if I can.”
Patterson and her friend Stacie McGrady estimated the cost of the remaining repairs to be $20,000 for the materials alone.
McGrady said that at the very least, Patterson will need plumbing, electrical, insulation and drywall in her kitchen to be able to move back into her home.
“If we don’t get her back in this mobile home, it’s going to be permanent homelessness,” McGrady said. “Right now, we have a temporary issue, and we want to prevent it from going permanent.”
Patterson said she has been seeking contributions from the various organizations where she has worked or volunteered, in hopes of offsetting the cost of repairs.
Her many community involvements include the 4-H program, Community Action Board of San Benito County, the civil grand jury, Hollister Animal Shelter and Pet Friends and Rescue.
McGrady said that Patterson has been under a lot of stress since the house fire and the loss of her husband, and the emotional toll is beginning to show physically.
She has been diagnosed with tachycardia—an abnormally fast heart rate—and her doctor wants her to get a LifeVest wearable defibrillator, which her health insurance will not cover, adding to her financial burden.
Patterson, who is not used to a sedentary lifestyle, said that being unable to do all that she used to is beginning to test her tolerance.
“It’s just a lot of stress I’ve been under,” she said. “Now I know why my heart’s the way it is, because I didn’t have this heart rate seven months prior.”
She said that despite the hardship, she continues to decorate for the holidays, including Sept. 11 and Halloween, and hopes to be back in her home before Christmas.
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The post With community help, Hollister resident working to repair her fire-damaged home appeared first on BenitoLink.