Stephen Merrell Jull-Patterson

Stephen Merrell Jull-Patterson was born in Chicago on January 2, 1958. He died at age 65 on July 30, 2023 in Sacramento, CA from complications of neck cancer and pneumonia. Raised in southern Illinois, he graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver, CO in 1981 with a degree in theater. He spent the next 20 years in New York City, working various day jobs including box office treasurer for Joseph Papp’s The Public Theater, teaching improvisational theater techniques at Lincoln Center, and as a corporate training specialist and accounts analyst at Barnes & Noble. At night he performed with the First Amendment Improvisation Troupe and wrote and performed in his own one-man shows off-off-Broadway. In 2001, Stephen moved to Oceanside, CA with his partner James DeMaiolo and their son Brandon DeMaiolo Patterson. The following year, Stephen’s grandmother, Doreather Givens, and his mother, Katheryn L. Patterson, along with Stephen’s nieces and nephew TC Smith, Brittany Reed, and Marcus Reed-Quinn, moved from Georgia to Oceanside as well.

In 2003, Stephen, the four children, and the two grandmothers moved to Alameda, CA. It was in Alameda that David Jull-Johnson joined the family. He and Stephen married three times. The first was during the “Winter of Love” in February 2004 when San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome ordered the city clerk to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The marriage was made void six months later by the California Supreme Court. They then had their own wedding in November 2005 and changed their last names to Jull-Patterson. It was during this time that they began the process of adopting the kids. This was completed in 2008 and the family of six enjoyed life with their grandmothers for many years, gathering each week for a boisterous and humor-filled Sunday dinner. But Stephen and David were not able to legally marry until June 2013 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld lower federal court rulings striking down Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban in California. Stephen always teased David, “I married you three times so that means you have to divorce me three times to get rid of me.” The thought never entered David’s mind.

After all four children were grown, Stephen and David moved to Woodland, CA in 2017 to take care of David’s mother. Stephen was able to spend a great deal of time bantering with Yvonne as well as work on creative pursuits, including digital forms of image manipulation. He also maintained and rekindled friendships with many people from across the country. His greatest joys were seeing his children and grandchildren, mentoring young gay men of color, making his Ma laugh, and spending time with David sharing their lives and their deep abiding love for each other. That love endures.

Stephen is survived by his mother Katheryn, sister Tiffany Reed, husband David, brother-in-law Michael Johnson, daughters TC (Valentina) and Brittany Anderson (David), son Marcus, daughter-of-the-heart Jazmin NeVille (Garrett), many nieces and nephews, and grandchildren Josiah and Zariah Anderson. He was predeceased by his grandparents, father Delbert Patterson, Sr., parents-in-law Yvonne and Kenneth Johnson, brothers Delbert Patterson, Jr. and Brian Patterson, sister Karen Richmond, and his beloved son Brandon. The family is grateful to the health care providers and staff of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center for their steadfast involvement and dedication to Stephen.