Procession to honor fallen North Aurora soldier

Students and staff at West Aurora High and Jefferson Middle schools will pay their respects to the late Spc. Christopher A. Patterson when the procession carrying his body drives past the schools Friday.

Students and staff will stand outside as the procession passes, around 10:30 a.m., according to a statement from the school district.

Patterson, a 2009 graduate of West Aurora, was killed Jan. 6 in an explosion in Afghanistan.

He was stationed there with the 713th Engineer Company of the Indiana National Guard. Patterson lived in North Aurora and was attending Valparaiso University in Indiana.

His body arrived at Midway Airport Wednesday afternoon. Inside the hangar, his casket was transferred to a waiting hearse in a somber ceremony, which allowed his family some comfort. #147;We knew that he was with his God. The peace we felt was very real, very strong,#148; Christopher#146;s father Robert Patterson told ABC 7.

Visitation for Patterson is from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 950 Hart Road, Batavia. The funeral is at 11 a.m. Saturday. Burial is private.The Patriot Guard Riders motorcyclists will accompany the procession, which starts at 10 a.m. at Moss Family Funeral Home at Route 31 and Main Street in Batavia. It will proceed west on Main, south on Randall Road, east on Plum Street, south on Commonwealth Drive and then pull through the high school#146;s main drive along Galena Boulevard.The North Aurora and Countryside Fire Protection District will hang an American flag from two ladder trucks at the high school.ABC7 contributed to this report.