Kidney donated from bouncer killed outside Chelsea bar saves sister’s life

The bouncer who died after being punched by an irate man outside a Chelsea bar on Christmas Eve posthumously donated his kidney to his sister, saving her life, his widow told the Daily News on Monday.

Duane Patterson, 61, was working at Billymark’s West bar on Ninth Ave. near 29th St. when the attacker tried to get into the dive around 3 a.m., said the widow, Melissa Buchholz.

“That guy never went to the bar,” she said of the berserker, who is still being sought. “He wasn’t a regular, nobody recognizes him.”

Patterson, an Air Force veteran, walked outside to tell the man he wasn’t getting into the bar when an argument broke out.

“On the surveillance footage, you can see that they were arguing,” said Buchholz, 51. “My husband turned to go back in and he cold-cocked him. That’s when he fell back and hit his head on the sidewalk.”

Patterson was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where doctors determined his skull was fractured and his brain was damaged.

“On Christmas, they told me he was brain-dead,” Buchholz recounted. “It was blunt-force trauma. His eye was blown out and he had severe bruises on the side of his face.

“He must’ve had something in his hand, or brass knuckles,” she said of the attacker.

Patterson was in a coma until he was pronounced dead three days later. On Friday, his organs were procured for donation.

“His kidney went to his sister and that surgery was successful,” Buchholz said. “His sister has diabetes and her kidneys were failing her.”

The rest of his organs were donated to other people in need, the widow added.

“He wanted his eye to go to others but this guy ended that,” said Buchholz. “His eye looked like an eight ball. It was totally blown out. This was an absolutely senseless act.”

Patterson and Buchholz were together for nearly three decades and were looking forward to celebrating their anniversary this coming weekend. The couple had one daughter together.

“We already spent 27 years together, 27 wonderful years,” Buchholz said. “He was widely loved. He was a great father and a great man.”

Police are still working to track down the man who punched and killed Patterson. The attacker was described as being in his 40s and was caught on surveillance footage wearing a red Champion hoodie sweater, a black jacket, black pants and black sneakers during the attack.

“He should feel 100 million times the pain my husband felt,” Buchholz said. “This is a disgusting freaking incident.”

Cops released surveillance footage of the attacker on Friday and are asking for the public’s help identifying and tracking him down.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.