"I worked for Tom at the State Street store in the late '60s. He was a warm friend rather than a boss. Working there is one of the best memories of my life."
In loving memory of
Thomas P. Patti
March 12, 1930 - January 6, 2014
MADISON--Thomas P. Patti, age 83, passed away peacefully, Monday, January 6, 2014. He was born March 12, 1930, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved to Madison in 1940. He was the son of John and Nellie Patti. Tom will be remembered for his wonderful smile, kind heart, brilliant mind, and wisdom.
Tom was married for 62 years to Sally (Sawtelle) Patti. He went to Dudgeon Elementary School, and then met Sally in ninth grade algebra class at West High School. He attended the University of Wisconsin Madison and was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Tom served in the U.S. Army in 1951 as a sergeant and was stationed in Germany.
After the army, he worked for Patti Music Corporation, taking complete ownership in 1962. In 1982, Tom founded a Direct Marketing Division of Patti Music Corporation, which sold printed sheet music and books through the United States and Canada. After selling Patti Music Corporation in 1992, Tom worked part-time as a business counselor for the Small Business Development Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Tom was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church where he served as a deacon and usher, and was a volunteer counselor and chairman of SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives). In addition, he belonged to Blackhawk Country Club and the Downtown Rotary Club of Madison. His interests included playing the accordion, and the bass fiddle.
He is survived by his wife Sally, his son John Patti (Jeanne), his daughters Lisa Konkol (Steve), and Susan Hanauer (Joe), grandchildren Elizabeth Strutz, Emily Payne, Tom Konkol, Nick Hanauer, Kevin Hanauer and his sisters Mary Keebler and Gloria Burton.
Tom believed the most important purpose in his life were his wife, children, and grandchildren. The family would like to especially thank Dale Myrland and Mary Ircink for their friendship and compassion. Memorials may be made in Tom Patti's honor to Covenant Presbyterian Church or Middleton Outreach Ministry.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 326 Segoe Road with the Rev. Dr. Charlie Berthoud officiating. Family will greet friends after 10 a.m. until the time of service. A reception will follow.
Cress-Speedway
Tributes
"After he sold Patti Music, Tom came to work at the Small Business Development Center to help other entrepreneurs. He provided common sense business advice from his many years of business experience to hundreds of people who contacted the SBDC. Tom was a very empathetic and generous person."
"Tom was my accordion teacher at Patti Music on State Street in the early 1950's--and a great teacher he was! He entered me in the Wisconsin State Accordion Festival in Milwaukee in 1954 and I won 2nd place in my division--I still have my trophy to prove it! We also had an accordion band at Patti Music and we played on Saturday mornings on WIBA-AM. It was a 15 minute segment which was emceed by Art Schroeder who would interview some of us as we played solos--and of course this was always done live! Great memories! My blessings to all and keep the music flowing!"