Father of 3 Returns to Scene of Vegas Massacre Where Wife Was Killed: 'I'll Never Forget'
Oct. 1, 2017, marked a day America will never forget. Much like how Sept. 11 impacted Americans from coast to coast, the Las Vegas shooting is a tragedy we will never forget.
Many lost their lives and hundreds more were injured at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival that day.
Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands … people from every walk of life never even had a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones.
We’ve heard the stories, but with each new one shared, our hearts go out to the survivors and the families affected by the massacre.
Fifty-four-year-old Bob Patterson recently shared his wife’s story with People magazine. Lisa Patterson was only 46 years old when she headed to Las Vegas with her three friends.
Everything seemed normal. Bob had texted his wife Lisa that he missed her. She responded and said she missed him too.
We never know when someone’s last words will be their last. Bob had no idea what was about to happen, or that he would lose the person who meant everything to him.
“She was so much a part of everything,” Bob told People magazine. “I didn’t go more than a couple hours without talking to her.”
When Bob first heard about the shooting, everything was chaos. He told CNN in 2017 that he went to search for her after he couldn’t get a hold of her on the phone.
“I couldn’t find my wife,” he said. “I couldn’t find out any information, or anything that was going on. We went to three different hospitals.”
Now it’s a year later, and Bob has not forgotten the tragedy or the heartbreak that followed. Lisa ended up as number 11 of the 58 people killed that night. The couple had been married for 21 years.
Lisa and Bob had three children together. Their youngest, Brooke, was only 8 years old when her mother was killed.
“I’m doing my best to take care of my kids and more than anything to make sure that my 8-year-old is taken care of,” Bob told People magazine.
The pain of grief and loss continues for this family even as the one year mark has now passed. Whether a year or a day, the feeling that their family is incomplete remains the same.
On Sept. 21, Bob and his 17-year-old son Robert traveled from their home in California to Las Vegas to the very spot where their beloved wife and mother died.
“I got some crazy feelings on that property,” Bob said. “Life will go on, but I’ll never forget.” Neither will we.
Our hearts and prayers are with this family, and all the families affected, as they continue to face life without their loved ones. May you #LiveLikeLisaP and continue to stand #VegasStrong in the year ahead.
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