Henry Lawrence Patrick, Jr., age 66 retired President of American Rafting Association, died Sunday, October 25, 2015 of complications at Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC. He had been fighting a degenerative lung disease since 1998.

Born February 4, 1949 in Camp Lejeune, NC he was the son of a very proud Marine, Captain Henry Lawrence Patrick and Mary Helen Hambright Patrick. At that time his father was second in command of the Second Armored Amphibious Battalion.

Growing up in Kings Mountain, NC, he was active in the Boy Scouts. He reached the rank of Eagle Scout at the early age of 12 and continued his involvement until he reached the rank of Eagle Silver Bronze Palm, which was the highest rank of any Boy Scout in North Carolina at the time. He attended Kings Mountain High School and received the John Gamble Scholastic award "Youth of the Year" trophy. He played varsity football, obtaining the nickname "Bulldog" and was a member of the Monogram Club. Upon high school graduation, Patrick was appointed to West Point in 1967 by Congressman Basil Whitner and later transferred to Georgia Tech where he obtained an engineering degree in 1973. While at Tech he joined and later became President of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.

In 1971 Patrick started a raft race down the Chattahoochee River in Atlanta, which grew to become the Ramblin Raft Race™. In 1978 the raft race was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest participant event in the world with 50,000 rafters and 250,000 spectators. By 1980 the race had grown to over 60,000 rafters and 300,000 to 400,000 spectators. It was described as "the Rose Bowl on the River." This event was featured in the June 2015 edition of the Atlanta Magazine, and the National Art History Museum in Atlanta recently added an area to its facility dedicated to the Ramblin Raft Race™ and the impact the race had on the city. That display highlights how this event and the attention it attracted turned the 9.2 miles of the river, the race was held on, into the Chattahoochee State Park and started the movement to restore and protect our inland rivers and waterways across the country. Patrick's environmental vision for urban rivers led to his receiving "Honorary Citizen" awards in many cities, including Atlanta, New Orleans, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Jacksonville.

Patrick was an avid student of history and appreciated his lineage to the Revolutionary War's Battle of Kings Mountain, as his ancestors helped shape the outcome of that important battle. During the past two years he has enjoyed being active in supporting the play "Liberty Mountain," an outdoor historical drama about the events surrounding the battle.

Patrick loved life, and lived it to the fullest until his failing health slowed him down. He appreciated and celebrated good food, lively conversation, sharing tales and laughing with wonderful friends and family, politics, and artillery (including on occasion firing his vintage Civil War-era cannon!).

SURVIVORS: Surviving are one brother, Gilbert Hambright Patrick and his wife Jancy Patrick; one sister Barbara Patrick and husband Steve Sadler; a surviving aunt Betty Merritt of Roanoke, VA; and may cousins and many more friends. His family is especially appreciative of his caregivers, Debra Mayberry, and her extended family for making his life very comfortable these last few years.

SERVICE OF WITNESS TO THE RESSURRECTION: First Presbyterian Church, Kings Mountain, NC, which his grandfather, the Rev. P.D. Patrick, built and served for 27 years. 2:00 P.M. Friday, October 30, 2015 Rev. Greg Martin, and Patrick's cousin, the Rev. Dr. Russ Merritt of Roanoke, VA, officiating.

VISITATION: Following the services the family will receive friends from 3:00 - 5:00 P.M. at the H. L. Patrick Senior Center, Kings Mountain, North Carolina

PRIVATE ENTOMBMENT: Patrick Mausoleum, Mountain Rest Cemetery, Kings Mountain, North Carolina

MEMORIALS: H. Lawrence Patrick Senior Life and Conference Center, 909 E. King Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086

GUEST REGISTER AVAILABLE AT www.harrisfunerals.com Harris Funeral Home, Kings Mountain, North Carolina