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The son of two of the victims who died after a suspected mushroom poisoning in regional Victoria has paid tribute to his parents at a public memorial service.
Don and Gail Patterson died after eating a beef Wellington cooked by daughter-in-law Erin Patterson at her Leongatha home in Victoria's south-east on July 29.
Hundreds of family, friends and community members packed into Korumburra Recreation Centre to say goodbye to the pair this afternoon.
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Simon Patterson, who is the former partner of Erin Patterson, reflected on the legacy of his parents, saying they were "very much a team working at life together".
"The fact they died in consecutive days reflects the togetherness that they always worked so hard (to achieve)," he said.
"We were one of the few families who also sat together at the tea table for the evening meal.
"Dad always loved chatting to strangers in his travels, particularly people of different faiths and cultures."
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An emotional Patterson broke down describing the final moments of his parents.
He revealed Don survived an emergency liver transplant after the poisoning but died after "the rest of his body was already too sick to go on past that point".
His mother Gail sent her last text to the family group chat while lying in hospital.
"It was no fluke that mum's final text message as she lay in Dandenong Hospital was: 'Lots of love to you all'," he said.
"As Mum and Dad lay in comas in the hospital in their final days and each day, we were unsure if they would recover or not.
"It was comforting to know that when we said, 'See you later', we knew it was true.
"The only thing we didn't know was when. In the meantime, we'll miss them."
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Patterson described his parents as proud, Bible-believing Christians, who had "humility to their faith".
They lived by the motto, "Preach the gospel at all times, use words if necessary", he said.
Don's brother Collin Patterson also spoke of how the couple met, who had been married for 50 years, met and how they tragically died just one day apart.
The pair were laid to rest at a private burial last week, but a public memorial service at their local Korumburra Recreation Centre was held today.
Gail Patterson's sister, and local teacher, Heather Wilkinson also died after eating the toxic wild mushrooms.
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A fourth person at the meal, Reverend Ian Wilkinson, a pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church and Wilkinson's husband, is fighting for life in hospital.
Police are continuing to investigate the deaths, with Erin Patterson remaining a person of interest.
"I would like to say that because the Homicide Squad is investigating this matter, it doesn't automatically mean that the deaths are suspicious," Detective Inspector Dean Thomas told media earlier this month.
"She is (a suspect) because she cooked those mushrooms."
Erin Patterson did not attend the memorial service, but was seen earlier this week meeting with lawyers in Melbourne.
She was flanked by a team of legal representatives as she left her lawyers' office, including prominent criminal lawyer Bill Doogue.
The 48-year-old has denied any wrongdoing and no charges have been laid.
