Story Behind The Song

This ballad is in honor of, and a tribute to, my Mother, Donna Patterson. She served her country in WWII and raised a family in California with my gather a Marine. Her medical training made her a neighborhood physician of sorts, patching up most of the kids in the neighborhood at one time or another. She was taken from us much too soon.

Song Description

A tribute to my Mother, who served our nation, our neighborhood, and our family. She left us too soon.

Lyrics

ANGEL OF DE SOLO DRIVE
Mark Patterson © 2025

A Nebraska girl from the greatest generation
Shipped out to serve the nation
Witnessing firsthand the worst of the world
And while patching up our warriors on Saipan
A Lieutenant was forged from the girl

In the biggest little city she married a Marine
Together they chased that post-war dream
Raising a family on the California coast
To make ends meet she worked the graveyard shift
A better life for us is what mattered most

The angel of De Solo Drive
Has taken flight for good
But not before she touched our lives
From the war to the neighborhood
She found happiness in our success
With never a word or deed unkind
After all these years if she were here
I'd say I miss you Mom
I only wish we'd had more time

Each of our paths took a different fork
Brazil Argentina and of course New York
Tryin' to live up to the values she instilled
She stayed long enough to watch us weave our own dreams
And left a void that can never be filled

The angel of De Solo Drive
Has taken flight for good
But not before she touched our lives
From the war to the neighborhood
She found happiness in our success
With never a word or deed unkind
After all these years if she were here
I'd say I miss you Mom
I only wish we'd had more time
I miss you Mom I just wish we'd had more time