James ‘Patches’ Paczkowski, known affectionately as “The Patchman” to listeners of FM 100 KTEX, died Saturday.
He was living at his ranch in Giddings, Texas, a town roughly 60 miles east of Austin, at the time. His death comes less than two years after his retirement from KTEX on Dec. 31, 2019. As co-host of the KTEX Morning Show with Jo-Jo Cerda, his voice became as synonymous with early mornings for Rio Grande Valley residents as a morning cup of coffee.
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Paczkowski originally worked in the medical field — working in operating rooms in hospitals. After the urge for a career in the arts overcame him, he switched to radio and moved to the Rio Grande Valley. He found work at ENERGY 99 and K-FROG before finding a home at KTEX, where he would work for nearly 25 years.
Paczkowski was remembered fondly Thursday afternoon during a two-hour tribute show on KTEX that featured stories and anecdotes from former colleagues and friends.
“It’s all about memories today, folks, and celebrating the life of The Patchman,” DJ and radio host Frankie D said at the start of the tribute show. “Boy, what a guy. He was the perfect, or at least closest to perfect kind of person you’d want to work with in this industry.”
He was described as someone who was passionate and loved what he did, particularly his work in production and in philanthropy. Paczkowski was known for his passion for leading fundraising efforts such as the St. Jude Radiothon.
“One of the first times that Patches came in to apply for a job, we were in the middle of the St. Jude Radiothon,” Frankie D recalled on the air. “He volunteered to start answering phones. He started right there from the beginning.”
Janet Padilla, the Regional Development Director at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, described Paczkowski as an amazing ambassador for the nonprofit.
“He was St. Jude in the Valley,” Padilla said during the on-air tribute. “I had the pleasure of working with him for about five or six years. He gave it all — time, effort, passion, he was a Partner In Hope as well. He was the perfect St. Jude ambassador for us. He understood the mission of St. Jude, and he loved everything about it.”
Jay Cantu, vice president of programming for iHeartMedia McAllen, began working with Paczkowski in 2003 when his radio station, KISS FM 106.3, was purchased by Clear Channel Radio.
“I was a newcomer when Clear Channel bought 106.3,” Cantu recalled. “I was the outsider that came into a building full of people. He was the only (one) that kind of reached out to me and made me feel welcome. He was the first one for a long time that made me feel welcome to the building.”
Cantu said Paczkowski was a mentor to him and his colleagues throughout his time at KTEX. He will remember him by treating others with the same kindness that Patches showed him, he said.
“He was a mentor to all of us, really,” Cantu said. “That’s what he was. If we had a question about what we were doing, he was the one to go to. Like I said on the radio — just being a human person — someone you want to model yourself after — especially nowadays when you have so much controversy and so much negativity going on. He never was like that.
“That’s something that I strive for — to be like him.”
