Wayne L. Patenaude, Owner Of Pats Peak Ski Area, Dies At 87

By Obituary, InDepth NH

Pats Peak patriarch Wayne L. Patenaude, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at his Pats Peak home on Dec. 4 after a period of declining health. He was 87 years old. Wayne was born January 22, 1938 to Marjorie Smith Patenaude and Merle Roscoe Patenaude.

Wayne had a passion for building businesses and Pats Peak was one of the many that he was involved with. Upon graduating from high school (1957) he purchased Contoocook Artesian Well Company which is still run by his son Rick and now third generation grandchildren are involved. He and his cousin, Rodney Patenaude started Henniker Crushed Stone as well as Central Concrete, along with Ron Goss- both of which remain in the family. In 1969 Wayne and his cousin Rodney built a dam to create a 75-acre lake in Boscawen.

Wayne married the love of his life, Sally (Rolfe) Patenaude, in 1961. They settled at their beautiful home, Boulder Farm in Hopkinton and worked side by side at all their businesses as well as on the farm where they grew 8 acres of strawberries for 23 years starting in 1976. Wayne was a farmer at heart and loved growing things. His grandchildren have many wonderful memories of being in the gardens with him including Wayne carving their names into pumpkins as they grew.

Deeply interested in all his endeavors, Wayne was a Commissioner at the State Department of Environmental Services for many years and drilled wells for Habitat for Humanity. He loved Hopkinton and donated land on the River in Contoocook for the fire station.

True to his pioneering spirit, Wayne and his three brothers built Pats Peak Ski Area in 1962. The “Peak” was his true passion and is in its 64th year of operation. One of Wayne’s many mantras over the years was “it needed to be the best.” He proved that time and time again with his aggressive investments in Pats Peak to make it the premier learn to ski mountain in New Hampshire. He was innovative in snowmaking, business ventures, savvy like a good Yankee, and never met a technology that he didn’t embrace. Pats Peak stands tall in the ski business, as one of the last surviving independently owned ski areas in New England. The stewardship of the Patenaude family and General Manager Kris Blomback who has worked tirelessly with Wayne for 34 years, has allowed Pats Peak to thrive.

Not only was Wayne a great ski operator he was a family man. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sally, together for 64 years, along with their children Sabrina, Nicole (Andy), and Rick (Kristin), along with his grandchildren: Celeste, Genevieve, Samuel, and Olivia and great grandchild Elenora, his brother Stuart (Kathy), sister Diane McMahon as well as Beverly Patenaude (wife of brother Joe) and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents and his brothers Joe and David.

There will be no service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the Henniker Historical Society (51 Maple Street, Henniker 03242) or the Hopkinton Historical Society (300 Main Street, Hopkinton 03229).

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.