Longtime Cleveland, OH, educator, Lewis Earl Patterson, 91, died on May 21, 2026, in Raleigh, NC. Lew was born October 10, 1934, in West Bridgewater, PA, to Lewis W. Patterson and Marcella (Brubaker) Patterson. After his mother died, Lew was raised by his grandparents, the late Earl and Elizabeth (Wood) Brubaker.

Lew graduated from McKeesport, PA, High School and earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in education from Pennsylvania State University. In his distinguished academic career, he served as professor, department chair, associate dean, and interim dean in the College of Education at Cleveland State University. A licensed psychologist, Dr. Patterson was the senior author of “The Counseling Process,” a graduate text whose structured approach and clarity have given it a lasting place in the field for more than 30 years. He was president of the Ohio Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and of the Greater Cleveland Adult Education Council. In 2013, Lew was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Cleveland State University, in recognition of his service to the University that included his work as co-founder of the Cleveland State’s Ph.D. in Urban Education and a planning role for the new education college building, Julka Hall.

Before moving to the Cleveland area, Lew was a member of the counselor education faculty at Boston (MA) University. He served as resident professor-administrator for Boston University’s Overseas Graduate Program in Frankfurt, Germany.

Prior to his professorships, Lew completed active duty in the U.S. Army Reserve, was a science and math teacher in Penn Hills Township Schools, Pittsburgh, PA and a guidance counselor in Versailles Township Schools, McKeesport, PA.

Lew enjoyed gardening, creating stained glass art, constructing N-gauge model train layouts, and tackling a wide variety of home renovation and repair tasks. Dave Brubeck and other cool jazz artists were the soundtrack for quiet days at home. Attending theater and classical and jazz concerts were among his favorite activities. Lew and his wife Janice loved travelling together, visiting all fifty U.S. states and many Canadian provinces. Over the years they made numerous trips to Europe and to Panama, Colombia and Central America. Lew also visited Japan, South Korea, and Guam to train counselors in the U.S. Army dependents schools.

Lew is survived by his wife of 61 years, Janice (Bates) Patterson; their daughter, Elizabeth (Patterson) Supinski, and her husband, Mark of Raleigh, NC, and three grandchildren: Nathan Supinski and his wife, Larissa Supinski (Highlands Ranch, CO); Alex Supinski and his wife, Anna Carrigan (Fort Collins, CO), and Cate Supinski and fiancé, Kieran Aulak (Brooklyn, NY). Lew is also survived by his brother‑in‑law, Dr. Kent C. Bates (Chillicothe, IL) a niece and nephew and many cousins.

A private family graveside service will take place in July at Evergreen Cemetery in Westlake, Ohio.

To honor Lew’s legacy, the family invites you to consider a donation in his memory to one of the organizations listed below:

The Lewis and Janice Patterson Endowed Scholarship at Cleveland State University.

Cleveland State University Foundation

c/o the Lewis and Janice Patterson Endowed Scholarship

2121 Euclid Avenue, MM 305

Cleveland, OH 44115

Transitions LifeCare

https://www.transitionslifecare.org/donate/

250 Hospice Circle

Raleigh NC 27607