At the age of 90+, Mary Patterson was officially our oldest Madame of Mayhem.
In 2017, her story, “Night Vision”, featuring a cheeky cat detective, won the Mesdames contest for new crime fiction writers. It was published in our 13 Claws anthology.
Mary was a gifted ceramic artist until arthritis forced her to retire, but that left her time to write crime fiction and to pen gardening articles for community newspapers. She and her husband, Fred, grew plants year round and helped plan and plant several community garden projects.
Mary passed away in December, 2025. She was predeceased by Fred in 2022. They had many four-legged children, including at least one basset hound named Daisy.
Mesdames of Mayhem 