When Paul S. Patterson first moved to Western Connecticut, he didn’t set out to become a beloved local legend. Instead, he wanted to prove his entrepreneurial mettle, first buying a rubber-seal and O-ring manufacturing business and then purchasing Bethel’s Blue Jay Orchards in 1985.
Over the next 39 years, Patterson’s hard work, innovation, and people skills made the orchard a personal legacy and a storied part of Bethel’s economy. Patterson, 86, died Saturday, November 16 at his home on the orchard, surrounded by his wife of 55 years, Mary, and his family.
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Soon after the news of his passing trickled out among the community, the tributes poured in on Blue Jay Orchards’ Facebook page. They all praised Patterson’s kindness, helpful demeanor, and dedication to the Bethel community.
“Paul was the kind of person that you liked instantly,” said Bethel First Selectman Dan Carter. “He was very much beloved in our town. He dedicated himself to our community for these many, many years, and he truly cared about people.”
Carter noted that a large expanse of white walls at Bethel Town Hall now boasts a mural painted by Bethel High schoolers. Blue Jay Orchards occupies a prominent spot among the town’s sights. “In large part because of Paul, Blue Jay Orchards has become a landmark for the town,” Carter added.
“People here understand the importance of buying local – but besides being a local business, Blue Jay Orchards is a destination,” said Janet Chrzescijanek, the town’s director of economic development. “People come from all over and make a day of it – at the orchard and in town.”
To get a true sense of Patterson’s legacy, you need to spend time with his eldest son, Paul A. Patterson, a retired Philadelphia attorney, and with Chris Seifrit, the longtime foreman at Blue Jay Orchards. Both shared a mix of stories that showcased both his entrepreneurship and personality.
The entrepreneurial spirit remained with him even during the six years that he worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1960s. Paul, enjoyed his FBI work but it came with an enormous downside: getting transferred to a new office every year.
“Family was truly important to my father,” said the younger Patterson. “So, he left the FBI to go in a different direction.”
Paul’s first endeavor was a company called Precision Rubber Products, which designed and manufactured industrial O-rings. Later, he purchased a firm in Jersey City, New Jersey called Smythe Rubber and Packing. He later moved it to Danbury and renamed it Quality Seals.
“He purchased Blue Jay Orchards in 1985 and for a time afterward continued to run Quality Seals,” said the younger Patterson. “The orchard eventually became a full-time thing for him, so my brother Steve took over the operation of Quality Seals.” That firm was purchased by another company, in 2019, where Steve Patterson still works in management.
Even while all of this was taking place, Paul kept many proverbial irons in the fire. His sons Paul and Steve grew up in suburban Morris County, New Jersey, where during high school the brothers helped their father remodel rundown houses. “Dad was one of the original house flippers, and we were part of his fixer-upper crew,” Patterson recalled. “I did a lot of these houses with my buddies – Dad paid us well, but it was hard work.”
“When we were growing up, Dad believed that kids needed to learn the value of working,” he continued. “We’ve been able to pass that on to our own children.”
In more recent years, Patterson’s daughters Beth Dingee and the late Jeanne LaPorta both played roles at Blue Jay Orchards. It was truly a family enterprise, with the other Patterson siblings and grandchildren taking on roles there as well. Added to the family mix were Seifrit’s two children.
As Blue Jay’s Foreman, Chris Seifrit has been running its day-to-day operations for several decades. He’s stayed there for a total of 44 years in a variety of roles. That owes in part to the kindness of his late boss – both to his employees and the community at large.
“There are plenty of examples of things Mr. Patterson did, but he never, ever wanted credit for it,” said Seifrit.
Seifert pointed out that when he began working at the Orchard, it was owned by Robert Josephy – who sold it to Patterson. After harvest, apples were kept in cold storage for much of the year; those cold rooms are now offices. After purchasing Blue Jay Orchards, Patterson sought to switch it to a seasonal “pick-your-own” operation, along with a bakery, pies and cider donuts.
This concept had taken root in other places but was new to Fairfield County. Patterson’s vision required replacing most of Blue Jay’s 25-foot-tall apple trees with smaller varieties that could be easily harvested by both adults and kids.
And within a few years, that idea – and the Blue Jay team’s hard work – paid off. The busy period for the Orchard is now from mid-September through the beginning of November, when the apples are ripe for picking. And each year, Seifert adds about 15 temporary workers to help with the rush. They’re mainly high schoolers, adults who want extra money for holiday shopping, and even a few retired executives who relish an opportunity to stay busy.
When the rush is over, the store stays busy through Christmas Eve, with cider, a full range of pies and pastries baked on site, and the store’s popular cider doughnuts, putting Blue Jay Orchards squarely on the map for day trippers.
What’s in store for the future? “We see it being business as usual,” Patterson noted. “And our family is especially fortunate to have Chris Seifrit at the helm.”
For Seifrit, the affection for the operation is mutual. “Forty years ago, Paul Patterson trusted a 20-year-old guy – me – to have a lot of responsibility at Blue Jay Orchards,” he said. “We worked together over those many years to create a thriving business. It is a wonderful, proud legacy for him.”
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