Pattens happy in their new home

By Kay S. PedrottiNobody could be prouder of a new home than Pat Patten and his children, daughter Melissa and son Jason.The Pattens were among the Grove Street families whose homes were totally destroyed in last year’s EF3 tornado. They were huddled in the interior of the house and were not injured — but they lost almost everything.Now they have bought a new home near Milner, where the yard is so big it seems like a park. Pat shows off some of the home’s features to visitors, like a ‘cool mist spray’ hose built onto a rear patio — ‘We can sit out here and just enjoy that cool fine mist all summer long.’He’s pleased to have the latest in appliances; Melissa loves having two big closets in her bedroom. And, she’s only a few miles from her job at Ingle’s. Jason is a tech school student who appreciates everything about the new home.Pat says the family would not have been able to get the house without assistance from the American Legion, their Church of Christ in Barnesville and USAA insurance.’I’m just so blessed and so grateful for all the people who helped us,’ says Pat.’We still have people from church coming to help with jobs like shelving and things that still need to be done.’Their friend Robert Bentley was putting up shelves in the separate garage after having helped Pat add a concrete sidewalk in a boggy place near the house. A beautiful video of a cappella church music was playing in the living room during the reporter’s visit.’That’s a tape that was recovered from the storm,’ said Melissa. ‘It’s from when I was singing with the a capella chorus at Freed-Hardeman College in Henderson, Tenn. I’m so glad I still have it and it’ll play in our new home.’